VCU 2023 Critical Language Scholarship Semifinalists
Five Virginia Commonwealth University students have been named semifinalists for the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for summer 2023. These candidates will advance to the final round and will be notified of their final status in March.
The Critical Language Scholarship is a highly competitive scholarship funded by the U.S. Department of State for the study of fifteen languages deemed critical to the United States’ diplomatic and national security interests. Recipients will spend the summer abroad intensively studying their target language.
VCU’s five CLS semifinalists are are listed below with their name and language study:
- Oscar Kemp, who will graduate in 2023 with a bachelor’s in social work from the School of Social Work, applied to study Swahili.
- Hayley Pottle, who is a VCU alumna with a bachelor’s in mass communications from the College of Humanities and Sciences, applied to study Indonesian.
- Vineeth Vaidyula, a member of the Honors College, who will graduate in 2023 with a bachelor’s in biology from the College of Humanities and Sciences, applied to study Russian.
- Jake Waldman, who will graduate in 2026 with dual degrees in political science from the College of Humanities and Sciences and economics from the School of Business, applied to study Persian.
- Denise Zheng, who will graduate in 2024 with a PhD in social psychology from the College of Humanities and Sciences, applied to study Chinese.
In addition to the five semifinalists, VCU has two CLS Spark applicants whose applications are currently under review.
VCU’s National Scholarship Office (NSO) assists students and recent alumni with the application process for the Critical Language Scholarship and other esteemed awards. To learn more about external funding opportunities, schedule an appointment with a member of the NSO staff.
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