Six Pitt Students Finalists for Critical Language Scholarship

Six finalists for the U.S. Department of State’s 2021 Critical Language Scholarship are students at the University of Pittsburgh—five undergraduate and one graduate.

The finalists are:

• Nathan Aaron, Chinese and emergency medicine
• Maya Best, international and area studies, anthropology, English nonfiction writing 
• Helen Bovi, Mandarin and philosophy
• Abby Lombardi, media and professional communications; international and area studies
• Lynnea Lombardi, master of education
• Maria Lucy, Japanese and education
   

According to the Department of State, “The Critical Language Scholarship Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. Students spend eight to ten weeks abroad studying one of 15 critical languages. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains.”

Finalists for the 2021 CLS Program were selected from a diverse pool of over 4,600 applicants, representing all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. They represented 628 different higher education institutions across the country, including 151 minority-serving institutions, 14 historically Black colleges and universities and 57 community colleges.