Loyola student wins Critical Language Scholarship from U.S. Department of State

Serah Njoroge, ’24, won a Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. With the scholarship, she will spend eight weeks studying Swahili and learning Tanzanian culture in Tanzania during the summer of 2023.

“These fully-funded scholarships provide an immersive language and cultural study abroad experience like no other, and the award is extremely competitive,” said Terre Ryan, Ph.D., associate professor of writing and director of national fellowships.

Njoroge, who was born and raised in Mine Hill, New Jersey, is majoring in speech-language-hearing sciences and minoring in communication.

“I am most looking forward to meeting the people in my cohort, expanding my Swahili abilities, and exploring Arusha, Tanzania,” Njoroge said. “I am so excited for the wealth of knowledge I will obtain in Tanzania and to be able to speak with local people there.”

Critical Language Scholarships are highly competitive opportunities open to undergraduate and graduate students. The scholarships provide an intensive language and cultural immersion in 14 less commonly taught languages that the State Department deems essential to America's engagement with the world.