Wajiha Mekki, Haneen Zeinelabdin and Jenna Hooper.Three students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Honors College have been awarded the prestigious United States Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship, a highly competitive program that aims to increase the number of Americans proficient in critical foreign languages.
Wajiha Mekki, a Lawrenceville, Georgia, native majoring in cancer biology and political science, and Haneen Zeinelabdin, a biomedical sciences major from Huntsville, Alabama, will participate in the CLS overseas program to study Arabic.
“I am excited to continue my CLS journey and explore Morocco,” said Mekki, who is also pursuing a Master of Public Health degree through the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that have prepared me for this experience as I leverage it to prepare myself for a career in public service.”
“I’m really looking forward to stepping outside my comfort zone and immersing myself in a culture and community that will help me grow my Arabic skills,” Zeinelabdin said.
Jenna Hooper of Madison, Alabama, a neuroscience major, has been selected for the CLS Spark program, a new online initiative that offers intensive language learning in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Russian for beginners. She will study Chinese virtually.
“I’m excited to learn Chinese through CLS Spark, as it will expand my neurolinguistic research on the neural processing of language and foster collaborations with other researchers,” Hooper said.
The Critical Language Scholarship Program is a unique and prestigious study abroad initiative that places American students in immersive language environments around the world. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the CLS Program offers instruction in 14 critical languages, including Turkish, Portuguese, Russian, Persian and Japanese, with the goal of developing language and cultural fluency among American students.
“The Critical Language Scholarship Programs are intensive but effective,” said Michelle Cook, Ph.D., director of National and International Fellowships at UAB. “Whether they are traveling or studying virtually, these students will gain new language skills, enhanced cultural perspectives and international connections. We are excited to see them selected for this incredible program.”
Two additional UAB Honors College students, Ayush Jain of Aurora, Illinois, and Kevin Joseph of Brentwood, Tennessee, were named alternates for the 2024 CLS Program. Jain, a neuroscience and Master of Public Health student, applied to study Russian, while Joseph, a medical sociology and Master of Public Health student, applied to study Arabic.