Applying for the Critical Language Scholarship: Emilie Scardilla

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a fully funded overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students. The scholarship aims to broaden the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages, as well as to build relationships between the people of the United States and other countries. CLS provides opportunities to a diverse range of students from across the U.S. at every level of language learning..

Emilie Scardilla is a senior international relations and policy studies major applying for the CLS. Emilie is involved on campus as the undergraduate research assistant with the Moynihan Institute of Public Affairs, the assistant director of OrangeSeeds, Hendricks Chapel Choir, the Renee Crown Honors Program, Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and she has a leadership internship with the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Engagement. After graduation, she would like to work for the U.S. government as a Foreign Service Officer for the State Department, or as an intelligence analyst for one of the intelligence agencies such as Department of Defense or CIA. She hopes to focus on the Middle East/North Africa region.

Why did you apply to become a Critical Language Scholar? What are your expectations?

I really wanted to apply to CLS because I am friends with alums of CLS from my study abroad program and one of my internships, and their Arabic language skills became incredibly advanced. They recommended doing the program as a way to better learn Arabic. I would like to further improve my Arabic for my career goals and simply because I love learning it, and CLS will help me achieve these goals. My expectations are that the CLS program will be intense and challenging, but ultimately an incredible learning opportunity

What other travel/language experiences have you had that have inspired you to travel again?

I studied abroad last fall on our World Partner Program to Rabat, Morocco. This was hands-down one of the best learning experiences of my life, personally and academically. I learned more about Morocco, Islam, and Arabic, than I ever could have in a classroom in the U.S. I also learned a lot about myself and my identity because I was surrounded by a different culture. I want to be immersed in the culture and surrounded by the language again to more deeply understand the Middle East and North Africa.

What are you most looking forward to if you are chosen and what do you think will be the most challenging aspect of the program?

I am most looking forward to being in a program with students who are very passionate about and dedicated to learning Arabic. I miss this most about being abroad as I always felt inspired by my peers. I also am looking forward to living with a host family, because it is a great way to observe and be a part of the culture. The most challenging thing will most likely be the rigor of the classes; however, this is what drew me to the program, and will ultimately be worth it.

What have you learned about the application process thus far?

I think it is most important to be able to connect the language to your future career and/or personal goals, because CLS probably does not want to invest in applicants who will lose the language skills they gain on the program. I also think passion and energy are really important qualities that they want to see through the personal essays, because then CLS will know the applicant can not only handle, but flourish, in the program. My most important piece of advice is to consult with CFSA as much as possible about the essays because they have a lot of experience with CLS applications.