Two VCU Students Named Critical Language Scholars

By Tom Gresham

Amy Ernest and HaNa Kim, graduate students at Virginia Commonwealth University, each have been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship, which will enable them to travel to Tunisia and South Korea, respectively, for intensive language study this summer.

The Critical Language Scholarship provides funding for American students to spend the summer studying the languages and cultures of countries not frequently studied in the United States. Applicants are selected in part on their interests in regions of the world deemed essential to U.S. security. The scholarships are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 

Ernest, who is from Scranton, Pa., is working on a combined master's degree in public health and social work at VCU. She will study Arabic while in Tunisia. Ernest hopes eventually to run a non-profit organization that provides aid in refugee camps, war-torn countries and communities affected by natural disasters or political unrest.

Kim, who is from St. Petersburg, Fla., is a doctoral student in the counseling psychology program at VCU. Kim will travel to South Korea this summer to study the country's language and culture. Her long-term goal is to work as a faculty member at a college conducting research, teaching and mentoring students. Kim's research interests are concentrated on women's reproductive health and cancer prevention and control.

"Last year more than 4,600 students across the country applied for just 360 Critical Language Scholarships," said Jeff Wing, national scholarship coordinator in the VCU Honors College. "Amy and HaNa are precisely the type of highly motivated students sought for these awards."

Students interested in learning more about the Critical Language Scholarship should visit http://www.honors.vcu.edu/nationalscholar, or contact Jeff Wing at jawing@vcu.edu or 804-828-1803.