VILLANOVA, Pa. – Four Villanovans are the recipients of scholarships that will allow them to pursue international scholarly and teaching opportunities.
“The recognition these students have received through the receipt of these prestigious awards serves as a testament to their outstanding intellectual performance and the excellence of our academic programs, particularly our international programs that focus on critical languages,” said Jane Morris, Director of the University’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Hayley Aron’14 A&S, of Weatogue, Conn., is a Critical Language Scholarship recipient and plans to study Japanese in Kyoto, Japan, during the summer of 2012. A Global Interdisciplinary Studies major, Aron has completed formal coursework in Japanese while at Villanova and plans to study abroad for a full academic year at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. She enrolled in Inlingua Language School and began to study Japanese independently in high school. Also proficient in Chinese, Aron hopes to pursue a career of public service and international relations where she can utilize her knowledge of Japanese and Chinese language and culture to improve Japanese-Sino relations.
Matthew Thorp ’15 COE, of Arnold, Md., has received a full scholarship—funded through the Critical Language Scholarship Program and Project GO, the ROTC language and culture program—to study the Tatar language at the Critical Languages Institute in Kazan, Russia, for the summer of 2012. Thorp also spent the 2010-2011 academic year at the Kazan Federal University. He plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Villanova with a concentration in Russian Area Studies.
Launched in 2006, the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers and American Councils for International Education. The program offers intensive overseas study in critical-need foreign languages, such as Arabic, Japanese, Punjabi, Russian and Turkish.
Theresa Donohoe, of Hopedale, Mass., and Kathleen Pierce, of Lincroft, N.J., two 2012 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences alumni, have been awarded French Government English Teaching Assistantships to serve as English language teachers abroad. Donohoe is a Presidential Scholar and earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Honors and Francophone Studies. She plans to pursue a linguistics career in academia. Pierce earned a bachelor’s degree in Francophone Studies and Art History. She plans to pursue a doctorate in art history with a concentration on 18th and 19th century European art.
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's five colleges – the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing and the Villanova University School of Law. As students grow intellectually, Villanova prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them.
