Lela Casey ’25 Receives Fellowship from the Center for Arabic Study Abroad The recent graduate will serve a year-long fellowship studying Arabic in Morocco.
Lela Casey ’25Recent Washington and Lee University graduate Lela Casey ’25 has been selected to participate in a full-year fellowship to study Arabic in Morocco through the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) program.
Casey, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in global politics with minors in poverty and human capability studies and Middle Eastern and South Asia studies, will begin her fellowship in August at the Arab American Language Institute in Meknes, Morocco. While there, she will study Modern Standard Arabic and Darija, the Moroccan dialect, through classes targeting listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
The programming, which includes guest lectures, meetings with language partners and cultural activities, concludes in May 2026. Casey will have the opportunity to take elective courses on topics such as cinema, literature, history and translation, and she will be required to complete a community-based learning or volunteer project with a local organization for an immersive experience in Moroccan culture and society.
Casey is currently studying Arabic in Amman, Jordan, this summer as the recipient of Critical Language Scholarship (CLS). She also completed a Critical Language Scholarship in Nizwa, Oman, during the Summer of 2024, and she spent Fall Term 2024 studying Arabic in Amman as the recipient of a David L. Boren Scholarship.
“After originally being selected as an alternate, I did not think I would hear back from the program, so I was shocked to receive the acceptance letter on the last day of class,” said Casey. “I’m excited to explore Morocco and learn the dialect – and maybe a little French, too. I am grateful for the opportunity to fully devote myself to learning Arabic and live in a new country.”
“I believe this fellowship will help me reach my goal of Arabic fluency because I will use Arabic inside and outside the classroom for a year,” Casey continued. “After CASA, I hope to pursue a career in foreign policy and diplomacy, so this will give me time to prepare for master’s programs and my federal service [for the Boren Fellowship]. I also want to use my experiences to encourage and support other students’ language learning.”
While a student at W&L, Casey was involved with Campus Kitchen and the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, was a trip leader for Volunteer Venture and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
The Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) was established in 1967 to offer intensive advanced Arabic language training at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Since its inception, CASA has trained more than 1,900 upper-level undergraduates, graduates and professors specializing in various areas of Middle Eastern studies. CASA alumni have defined U.S.-Middle East relations for the last half-century through their work in the U.S. State Department, academic institutions and the private sector. CASA is currently administered at the University of Arizona and hosted in two locations: the Qasid Arabic Institute in Amman, Jordan, and the Arab American Language Institute in Morocco (AALIM) in Meknes, Morocco.
CASA receives its primary funding from the U.S. Department of Education, under the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program, and relies on the generosity of donors who support advanced Arabic education to sustain operations into the future.
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