PSU Russian Flagship students win competitive national scholarship for summer study abroad

Three PSU students studying in the Russian Flagship Program have each been awarded a competitive U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to participate in a study abroad program in Russia in Summer 2016.

Amber Shore, a triple major in Russian, Psychology, and Applied Linguistics, and Michael Farr, a post-Bac pursuing a Certificate of Advanced Proficiency in Russian, will spend eight weeks in the city of Vladimir, near Moscow. Chase Riegel (center in the picture) is a Russian major and he will be studying in Nizhnii Novgorod, a city on the Volga River. The program in Summer 2016 will be his second CLS award. 

The Critical Languages Scholarship is funded by the U.S. Department of State and is administered by American Councils, and awardees are selected on the basis of their academic record, diversity of background and experience, potential to succeed in a different cultural environment and plans to use the language in future career. With an acceptance rate of less than 10%, the Critical Language Scholarship is one of the most competitive scholarships in the U.S. for students who want to study abroad.