Heather Novak, a Penn State alumna, received a Critical Language Scholarship, allowing her to further strengthen her Mandarin language skills while living overseas. Novak, of Northampton, Pennsylvania, graduated from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in linguistics with a minor in Chinese, as well as a master’s degree in teaching English as a second language from the College of the Liberal Arts.
Novak stated that receiving a CLS has always been a goal of hers, and she has applied for one twice before. She praised the program’s commitment to promoting equity in study abroad options.
“As a student veteran, I’ve seen a dearth of presence and targeted activities for our demographic in study abroad programs. The CLS stands out to me because of its commitment to promoting equity in study abroad options, particularly for minority college students.
Novak is currently traveling in Taiwan and South Korea, where she aims to establish herself and teach English as a second language. She also stated that she intends to promote for diversity and inclusion in study abroad programs, particularly for adult students and student veterans.
“Moving forward, I am keen on pursuing a career that intersects language education, advocacy and diversity initiatives,” Novak told the audience.
Novak worked on a work-study program with Penn State’s Office of Veterans Programs, which she claimed provided her with great insights into the student veteran experience and academic achievement. She previously participated in the CLS Spark program, which brings together Russian, Chinese, and Arabic learners in online classes given by native speakers from a host institution abroad. Her master’s thesis explored student veterans’ perceptions on language acquisition and study abroad programs.
“What I cherish most about my field is its practical application — finding solutions within language and linguistics that directly impact real-world contexts,” Novak told the audience. “My faculty’s support and exposure to diverse ideas have been invaluable in shaping my journey as a scholar.”
Three Penn State alternates were also selected for a CLS.
Rayna Alexander, master’s degree in international affairs, was chosen as an alternate for an in-person CLS for Swahili.
Paige Bish, graphic design major, was chosen as an alternate for an in-person CLS for Korean.
Maria Jorge, biomedical engineering major, was chosen as an alternate for the virtual CLS Spark for Chinese
About the Critical Language Scholarship
CLS winners spend eight to ten weeks studying one of 15 languages considered vital to national security and economic prosperity: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, or Urdu. The program is supported by the United States Department of State and created in collaboration with local institutions in countries where these languages are widely spoken. More than 8,000 students have received a CLS since 2006.
To learn about the Critical Language Scholarship and application support, visit Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring (URFM). URFM can help students navigate the application process and prepare the required short answers and essays, but there is no required University involvement.
