Critical Language Scholarship Recipient En Route to India to Study Hindi
Saint Joseph's Univeristy is pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of State has awarded Daniel Soucy ’18 the Critical Language Scholarship. The award is a part of the Competitive Language Program, an effort to increase the number of Americans mastering critical foreign languages.
Soucy
PHILADELPHIA (April 12, 2017) — Saint Joseph’s University is pleased to announce that junior Daniel Soucy has been awarded the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) by the U.S. Department of State for summer 2017.
The scholarship is a part of the Competitive Language Program, a United States government effort to increase significantly the number of Americans studying abroad and mastering critical foreign languages.
Soucy intends to use his scholarship to continue his study of Hindi, the national language of India, at the American Institute of Indian Studies Summer Language Program, in Jaipur, India. The award covers all of his expenses and also provides a stipend.
An international relations major with triple minors in political science, Asian studies and history, Soucy applied for the CLS program while studying abroad this past fall at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, India.
"Even though I was really excited to get back to SJU, I knew that I would want to return to India in the future, and I also knew that language learning was something that is important to me,” says Soucy, who is from Bedford, New Hampshire.
“This program is a dream for me,” he adds. “I love expanding my knowledge of the world through experiential and classroom settings.”
Soucy credits Amber Abbas, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, as the person who ignited his passion for South Asian studies. Abbas also contributed to the establishment of the SJU study abroad program in India.
“In my upper-division course, India and Pakistan: From Colony to Nation, Dan was both a leader and a thoughtful colleague among his peers,” says Abbas. “I am thrilled to support Dan as he cultivates his interest in South Asia, and look forward to working with him as he pursues advanced language study in South Asia.”
Soucy is a member of Sigma Iota Rho and ultimately plans to pursue a law degree in immigration and refugee studies upon graduating.
“This award would not have been possible without the support of my wonderful professors in the political science and history departments,” says Soucy. “I’m grateful that they encouraged me to go outside of my comfort zone.”