Honors College Blog

Critical Language Scholarship Awards

March 2025: We have received good news about both of our Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) finalists!

• Kiara Ponce De Leon, a junior with a major in Communications Studies and a minor in Chinese, was named a recipient of the CLS! The scholarship will provide her with two months of intensive language study of intermediate Chinese (Mandarin) in Taiwan this summer.By the end of this academic year, Kiara will have completed three years of Chinese language and culture courses. She is also involved in Chinese Club.

  Kiara is excited about the opportunities the CLS program will offer her to improve her Chinese skills. She says, “By engaging in real conversations, I will gain a deeper understanding of the cultural contexts of Mandarin vocabulary and syntax. Interacting with native speakers will also allow me to learn when and how to use specific expressions, slang, and enunciation. I also hope to improve my tones for clearer and more effective communication.”

  The CLS program will help Kiara to work toward her professional goals. She hopes to become a translator for the federal government or an international NGO.

• Simon Webster, an Honors College senior with majors in Mathematics and Mathematical Economics, has been named an alternate for the CLS program for Turkish. He started his study of Turkish in Azerbaijan last summer through funding provided by a Boren Scholarship, another competitive national award. Simon intends to pursue a career in government.

The Critical Language Scholarship is a State Department program that facilitates two months of intensive summer language study in 13 languages considered essential to the United States’ engagement with the world. Approximately 500 undergraduate and graduate students nationwide are selected each year.

Kiara’s CLS award is the latest of 12 Critical Language Scholarships received by Ball State students over the past 17 years.

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