University of New Orleans student A’ishah Abdalah is one of 500 American college students to receive the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship. Abdalah, a junior international studies major, is studying Arabic in Amman, Jordan for six weeks this summer. More than 5,000 American students applied to participate in the competitive program.

After obtaining her undergraduate degree at UNO, Abdalah plans to attend law school and study international law. She is active in Model United Nations, a student organization that familiarizes students with the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of the United Nations. The Critical Language Program is part of a U.S. government effort to increase the number of Americans studying critical foreign languages. Participants gain language and cultural skills that enable them to contribute to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security. The program provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students studying one of following critical languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish or Urdu.

The program includes intensive language instruction and cultural enrichment experiences to promote rapid language gains. Scholars are expected to continue their language study beyond the program and apply their critical language skills in their future careers.