Claudia Sanchez

As a Critical Language Scholarship awardee Claudia will be studying Japanese language through a program hosted by Okayama University in Japan in summer 2021. As a New Media Interactive Development major, Claudia’s future career will rely heavily on multidisciplinary teamwork and the insight and innovation of people with a wide diversity of experience. “Language barriers are just one of many facets of accessibility that need to be considered in both media and the world - and when we work through them, the results are rewarding! In that way, I study Japanese to better appreciate what those different from myself have to offer, and in turn, help spread that to others while offering my own contributions,” says Claudia. “I hope to work in Japan in the future. The Critical Language Scholarship is a great launching pad to improve my skills and consider how to incorporate Japanese language in my future career plans,” she says.

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program provides exceptional undergraduate students from universities in the United States with the opportunity to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world. With an acceptance rate of less than 10%, the Critical Language Scholarship is one of the most competitive scholarships in the U.S. and the most prestigious language program for U.S. citizens.

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand dramatically increase the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. RIT students interested in applying for the Critical Language Scholarship should contact Jenny Sullivan (jenny.sullivan@rit.edu), Director of Education Abroad & International Fellowships.