(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)April 4, 2022

MAHWAH, N.J. — Ramapo College student Michelle Ta has received a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Mandarin Chinese at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan. Michelle ’23, who is majoring in International Business, is the first Ramapo student to receive the award. She is scheduled to be abroad from June 19 to August 17, 2022.

“I applied for the scholarship because I wanted to have an immersion experience with Mandarin,” Michelle said, noting that she started learning the language online during the pandemic. When she arrives in Taiwan, classes will be online for three weeks due to the quarantine policy. “If all the cohort members test negative, we’ll move to in-person classes and cultural activities.”

The program to Taiwan will be the first trip to the country for Michelle, who previously traveled to Vietnam. “This will be a new and exciting environment for me,” said Michelle, who plans to continue studying Mandarin but also is interested in learning other languages and experiencing other cultures. She has consulted with Ramapo’s Roukema Center for International Education and will be applying for the exchange program with Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan for spring of 2023, she added. “Career wise, after returning, I will resume my position at a logistics company — Bollore Logistics — and continue learning about the supply chain and logistics industry,” Michelle said.

The CLS Program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is a study abroad opportunity for U.S. college and university students to learn languages essential to U.S. engagement with the world. Student participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period, and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.

“Each summer, CLS provides rigorous academic instruction in fifteen languages that are critical to U.S. national security and economic prosperity, said Dean Chen, Chair/Convener of the Department of Political Science in the School of Humanities and Global Studies at Ramapo College and the Director of the Office of Prestigious Fellowships and Scholarships. “CLS participants are citizen ambassadors, sharing U.S. values and promoting U.S. influence abroad. We are so proud of and happy for Michelle for receiving this great award and recognition.”

Michelle, a Paramus, N.J. native, is also participating in a second Mandarin Language program that is fully funded through Agnes Scott College. She is a member of the first cohort for that program.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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