UM Students Win Scholarships for Travel to Russia And Morocco

Two University of Montana students have won U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships (CLS) for all-expenses-paid trips to Russia and Morocco this summer.

Julie Ammons, a Russian major and Missoula native, will participate in the CLS Program in Vladimir, Russia, from June 13 to Aug. 14. During the program, she will stay with a host family and attend language courses and cultural events, along with other students who have won the scholarship, for full immersion.

“People (in Russia) take poetry, music and novels very seriously, and literature voices these strong and passionate ideas,” Ammons said. “Beauty and suffering are both deep cultural values. I am fascinated by a culture where nearly everyone has memorized a favorite poem and will gladly stand up and recite it for you with full feeling.”

Natalie Stockmann, a sophomore from Burlington, Vermont, will study Arabic in Meknes, Morocco, for eight weeks. She currently is participating in the Wild Field Rockies Institute and plans to work with rural communities to help manage and conserve natural resources.

“After studying Spanish in Nicaragua and volunteering in rural towns, I developed an interest in community engagement and development,” Stockmann said. “My interest in the Middle East combines my passion for language study, resource conservation, social justice, rural development and community engagement. My participation in the CLS Program will help me achieve my future goals.”

Ammons and Stockmann were chosen among 560 other undergraduate and graduate students from all over the country to participate in the CLS Program. A part of the U.S. Department of State, the CLS Program is a fully funded summer overseas language and cultural immersion program that has sent more than 5,000 students abroad in the past 10 years.