Four UNG students named Critical Language Scholarship finalists; four named alternates

Four University of North Georgia students: Daniel Shearer, Josh Shepherd, Donnie "Jamar" Shumaker, and Rachel Wilson, were glad to learn March 1 that they were selected as Critical Language Scholarship finalists. The scholarship program is a fully-funded overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students. Its goal is to broaden the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages and building relationships between the people of the United States and other countries.

Four other semifinalists, Daniel Barker, Hannah Chisholm, Leah James, and Julia "Rhiannon" Smith, were named alternates.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, CLS is highly competitive, with acceptance rates of 10 percent, said Dr. Victoria Hightower, UNG's assistant director of Nationally Competitive Scholarships. This makes UNG's accomplishment of four finalists and four alternates significant.