Ascher-Handlin receives CLS award to study Arabic
Cornell College sophomore Elinor Ascher-Handlin will spend the summer studying Arabic as part of the highly competitive Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
“The CLS program is very distinguished and hard to get into and the fact that I was chosen is still crazy to me,” Ascher-Handlin said. “It’s an incredible opportunity that will allow me to receive an unparalleled language and cultural education that will prepare me for a career after college.”
Ascher-Handlin, a chemistry major from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, will participate in CLS’s Spark program, which allows students to learn the language through online courses rather than traveling abroad.
“As a participant in the 8-week summer CLS Spark program, Elinor will spend 10 hours each week in intensive live group instruction, and she’ll also have a chance to make connections with students and professionals both around the country and around the world,” said Dungy Writing Studio Director and Director of Fellowships and Scholarships Laura Farmer. “Elinor’s the third Cornelian to be selected for the CLS program, and the first to secure a spot in the online CLS program. I know she’ll thrive in this intensive learning environment.”
Ascher-Handlin, who is also a volunteer on both the fire and ambulance services, wanted to do the online language-learning program because she’s participating in the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP), a pre-health program, at Howard University.
“With the Spark program, I will be able to become fluent in Arabic and become immersed in the culture by interacting with Arabic speakers and by doing programming related to the language,” Ascher-Handlin said. “The program also allows for students who succeed in Spark to go abroad the next CLS cycle and continue their education. I hope to receive the award again next summer, so I can go abroad to Morocco and work in a lab there.”
The CLS program is part of a government initiative to expand the number of Americans mastering foreign languages that are critical to national security and economic prosperity. This Cornell sophomore says she’s most excited to be able to communicate with people who speak Arabic.
“The food shelf I volunteer at and interned at serves a lot of Arabic-speaking refugees, so being able to help them and not struggle with a language barrier will be awesome,” she said. “Since I intend to be in a science or healthcare field it will also be super impactful since not many people in those fields, who weren’t raised speaking it, can speak it, and being able to speak the same language as a patient or coworker will make all the difference.”
She’s thrilled about CLS Spark and how this award will play a role in her future.
“Hopefully, the biggest impact is it will give me a broader worldview and allow me to be a better person with more knowledge and cultural competency,” she said.
