CLS “Citizen Ambassadors” Get Pre-Departure Inspiration from Under Secretary

On June 19, 2012, eighty students in the US Department of State's Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program gathered at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel for a pre-departure orientation designed to prepare them for their summer abroad. Tara Sonenshine, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the US Department of State, delivered the keynote address. Ms. Sonenshine inspired the crowd of undergraduate and graduate students commenting on the value of study abroad and foreign language experience to US foreign relations and the global economy. Underscoring Secretary Clinton's message to American students that they should study abroad, Ms. Sonenshine stirred her student audience with a motivating message, "You are today's citizen ambassadors for our country and you are doing the kind of work that builds bridges for a lifetime."

The CLS Program, funded by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and administered by American Councils for International Education and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, provides fully funded scholarships to US undergraduate, Master's, and Ph. D students to study critical language overseas. This summer, twenty-eight CLS students will spend their summer studying Russian in Vladimir, Russia, twenty-two students will learn Turkish in Ankara, Turkey, and the other group of thirty students will be immersed in Chinese language and culture in Shanghai, China. For eight weeks, these CLS participants will engage in group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences in their host countries.

Dr. Dan E. Davidson, President of American Councils for International Education, welcomed CLS students to the orientation and introduced the Undersecretary, commenting on the important role that study of a critical language, like Russian, had played in Ms. Sonenshine's own distinguished career in government and the media.

Ms. Sonenshine then fielded questions from students who asked about the future initiatives that the US Department of State is planning to support advanced level language learning and immersion study abroad. She responded assuredly, "No one should doubt our serious and passionate commitment to this process."

Following the opening remarks, the CLS students divided into their groups to participate in professional opportunities and alumni panel discussions, as well as program information sessions. Scholars engaged with each other later over dinner in excited discussions anticipating the overseas cultural and language experiences awaiting them.

This year's 630 CLS participants were chosen from more than 5,200 applicants through a merit-based selection process. The scholars come from all 50 states across the US, as well as from the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and are currently enrolled in a wide-range of US public and private universities, minority-serving institutions, community colleges, and academic disciplines.

The CLS program is designed to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering thirteen critical languages, including, Azerbaijani, Chinese, Hindu, Indonesian, Persian, Russian, and Turkish.

Click here to learn more about American Councils and the CLS Program. Follow American Councils and the CLS Program on Twitter: @AC_Global @CLSscholarship and Tara Sonenshine at @TSonenshine.