West Lafayette native receives U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship

BELOIT, WI (05/04/2012)(readMedia)-- Jennifer Olson, a senior at Beloit College, has been awarded a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship to study Arabic. This summer, she will spend seven to 10 weeks in an intensive language institute in Morocco.

The religious studies and international relations major from West Lafayette, Ind., was one of about 575 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students who received a scholarship from the CLS Program this year. With more than 5,200 applicants, the program is among the most competitive scholarships in the country.

The CLS program is part of a U.S. government effort to dramatically expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. The languages program participants study include Hindi, Korean, Indonesian, Persian and Turkish.

Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.

For more information about the CLS Program, click here.

Beloit College is a residential, liberal arts college offering 40 majors to its 1,250 students. Located 90 miles northwest of Chicago, Beloit is one of the nation's most international colleges, drawing students from 41 nations as well as 49 states.