Eli Hatcher, Jahleel Johnson and Sophia Rowan have been awarded the 2024 Critical Language Scholarship for intensive language study. Funded by the U.S. Department of State, the program
allows American undergraduates and graduate students to spend eight to ten weeks abroad
studying languages that are essential to U.S. national security and economic prosperity.
Why it matters
Through this immersive program, participants develop cultural competence and valuable
language skills that are essential for building international connections. These three
students represent the University of South Carolina's commitment to fostering globally
minded scholars who can help tackle the world's most pressing issues.
Who they are
![Eli Hatcher](/about/offices_and_divisions/fellowships_and_scholar_programs/images/2024/inline/cls-hatcher_2024-300.jpg)
Eli Hatcher is a first-year McNair scholar and South Carolina Honors College student majoring
in computer science and mathematics. He will participate in the Critical Language
Scholarship Spark program, an online summer language intensive, to learn Mandarin
Chinese. Hatcher aspires to pursue either a career in the financial industry or in
artificial intelligence research.
![Jahleel Johnson](/about/offices_and_divisions/fellowships_and_scholar_programs/images/2024/inline/cls-johnson_2024-300.jpg)
Jahleel Johnson graduated from USC in December 2023 with degrees in political science and German.
Johnson earned the Congress Bundestag Young Professionals Program (CBYX) scholarship
in 2022 and CLS for Turkish in 2023. He will continue his Turkish language studies
at Ankara University this summer and plans to pursue a career in foreign affairs and
domestic politics.
![Sophia Rowan](/about/offices_and_divisions/fellowships_and_scholar_programs/images/2024/inline/cls-rowan_2024-300.jpg)
First-year Honors student Sophia Rowan is majoring in international business and finance and will travel to Kyrgyzstan this
summer. She will spend eight weeks studying Russian and learning more about the Kyrgyz
culture. In the future, Rowan hopes to continue her international exploration and
utilize her Russian language skills in a business career.
First-year Capstone Scholar Bodie Daniel has been named an alternate for CLS Spark in Mandarin and is awaiting final results
from that program.
National Fellowships and Scholar Programs provides support for Critical Language Scholarship applicants. Students interested
in learning more should contact USC’s national fellowships team.