Five Dartmouth students have received federal awards for foreign language and cultural study abroad.
Two undergraduates have received Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships, while another two undergraduates received a Critical Language Scholarship. In addition, a graduating senior has earned a Boren Fellowship to study abroad.
The Gilman scholarships are awarded by the U.S. Department of State to support students who “will return to communities across the United States with the global networks and foreign language skills needed to support U.S. economic and national security interests,” according to the Gilman website.
The State Department’s Critical Language Scholarships provide immersive summer programs for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to learn languages of strategic importance to the United States’ national security and economic prosperity.
The Boren Fellowship is an initiative of the Department of Defense’s Defense Language and National Security Education Office, which funds research and language study proposals in foreign regions that are considered critical to U.S. interests. Recipients agree to use their skills within the federal government through national security employment for at least one year.
Gilman Scholarships
Amanda Hosseini ’27
Hosseini, a psychology and philosophy double major, plans to study philosophy at the University of Edinburgh this fall. Hosseini has served as a one-on-one mentor to local children ages 6-12 with the SIBs program through the Center for Social Impact and is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority.
Hosseini credits her time at Dartmouth for inspiring her to seek a Gilman Scholarship.
“I chose this because I fell in love with philosophy at Dartmouth and cannot wait to study it in Edinburgh. I plan to pursue graduate studies after undergrad,” she says.
Emmanuel Uyigue ’28
Uyigue, a double major in psychology and African and African American studies, was awarded a Gilman Scholarship and had planned to visit Accra, Ghana, in the fall to expand his understanding of the African Diaspora. Dartmouth has paused the Accra program for the upcoming cycle due to insufficient enrollment, and Uyigue is exploring other options.
Critical Language Scholarships
Julian Matos ’26
Matos is majoring in computer science modified with digital arts, with a minor in film and media studies. Matos plans to study Korean language and culture at Chonnam National University in Gwangju, South Korea, this summer. He took classes through Dartmouth’s Korean Language Program.
“I grew up in Fort Lee, New Jersey, a town with a large Korean community, so the language and culture were always around me,” Matos says. “The Critical Language Scholarship is the next step in building real fluency, and I plan to carry that into my work after graduation in tech and design roles where cross-cultural communication matters.”
Gabriel Swai ’29
Swai plans to major in linguistics and computer science with a potential Chinese minor. He expects to spend two months this summer studying Swahili in Arusha, Tanzania, and eventually work as a linguist.
“I chose this area of focus because language is deeply tied to both my academic interests and personal identity,” Swai says. “As a half-Tanzanian student who grew up speaking Swahili before losing fluency after moving to the U.S., I want to reconnect with the language and culture in a meaningful way.”
Boren Fellowship
Joanna Jou ’26
Jou, who is majoring in history modified with Asian studies, was awarded a Boren Fellowship.
“I will undergo intensive Vietnamese language training through a combination of domestic and overseas programs,” Jou says. “I will be studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison this summer and the University of Languages and International Studies in Hanoi in the fall.”
Jou will attend graduate school at Columbia University starting in September 2027, then work in foreign service.
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Students interested in learning about scholarship opportunities can visit the Fellowships Office.
