Four W&L Students to Study Abroad with Critical Language Scholarship The Critical Language Scholarship Program funds a summer of overseas language and cultural immersion.

By Emily Innes
April 3, 2025

Seven Washington and Lee University students have received a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for the summer of 2025. The CLS Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and is a fully-funded summer overseas language and cultural immersion program for American college students.

This year’s W&L recipients included:

• Nava Berwick ’27 to study Indonesian.
• Brandon Bishop ’26 to study Arabic.
• Lela Casey ’25 to study Arabic.
• Janae Darby ’25 to study Arabic.
• Jack Evans ’25 to study Russian.
• Gina Kuah ’27 to study Japanese.
• Oliva Ullmann ’25 to study Swahili.

Berwick, Casey, Darby and Kuah accepted the CLS and will embark on their studies this summer.

“We are so proud of all our Critical Language Scholarship applicants, and we are especially excited for these recipients to pursue further language study abroad,” said Matthew Loar, director of fellowships and student research. “Our students’ continued success with programs like CLS speaks to their commitment to the W&L mission and to their understanding that ‘engaged citizenship in a global and diverse society’ is enriched by language and cultural immersion abroad.”

Nava Berwick ’27
This is Berwick’s second time receiving a CLS to study Indonesian, and she is grateful for the opportunity to further build upon the skills she learned studying the Indonesian language, culture and customs in Malang, Indonesia, during the summer of 2024. Berwick, who currently works for the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta as a virtual research intern focused on Indonesian affairs, aspires to work as a foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State, and receiving the CLS brings her one step closer to her dream career.

The CLS is also meaningful because Berwick has grown up surrounded by Indonesian culture and has been an Indonesian-style classical dancer since she was 4 years old, performing at the U.S.-Indonesia Society, the Indonesian Embassy, and the Smithsonian and for the Asian-American Chamber of Commerce. At W&L, she performed traditional Javanese dance during Parents and Family Weekend in 2023 and 2024 as part of the Multicultural Fashion and Dance Show.

“Until the Critical Language Scholarship, I was unable to fully communicate with Indonesians, as it is not my first or second language,” said the Falls Church, Virginia native. “Last summer’s CLS experience gave me the language skills to deepen my relationship with Indonesian dance and the community and extended my engagement with Indonesia, giving me closer bonds, personally and professionally.”

At W&L, Berwick is a Japanese major and is minoring in Middle Eastern and South Asia studies. She is the research and editorial assistant in the DeLaney Center for Wendy Castenell, assistant professor of art history, and works as W&L’s sole Japanese language tutor as part of the Harte Center Peer Tutoring program. She also teaches Japanese at local elementary schools through the Languages for Rockbridge program and hopes to start teaching Indonesian, too, following her CLS stint this summer.

The support Berwick has found in W&L’s faculty and staff shaped her academic career and empowered her to pursue opportunities like the CLS. She credits Timothy Lubin, the Jessie Ball duPont Professor of Religion, for helping her realize her academic passion for South and Southeast Asia. Berwick is also grateful to Donald Gaylord, research archaeologist and instructor of anthropology, for deepening her appreciation for history during her Advanced Immersion and Mentoring experience; to Alison Bell, professor of anthropology, for inspiring her enjoyment of writing; to Lena Hill, University Provost, for opening her eyes to African American literature; to Michael Hill, director of the DeLaney Center and program head of Africana studies, for expanding her horizons on the Freedom Ride Leading Edge trip; to Janet Ikeda, associate professor of Japanese, for her warm mentorship and support; and to Loar for helping her navigate the fellowship application process.

Lela Casey ’25
Casey, a global politics major with minors in poverty and human capability studies and Middle Eastern and South Asian studies, will study Arabic in Amman, Jordan, and is excited to continue strengthening her language skills in an immersive setting. This is her second time receiving a CLS to study Arabic, and she also received a Boren Scholarship in 2024 to study Arabic in Jordan for a semester.

A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Casey aspires to be a foreign policy analyst studying Middle East policy, and she thinks there is no better way to prepare for this career than an intensive study of Arabic supported by classwork and cultural activities, all while staying with a host family.

“I want to continue meeting new people and learning about their communities and experiences,” Casey said. “Arabic fluency will help me communicate with people affected by foreign policy and provide me with the cultural competency to understand its impacts.”

At W&L, Casey is involve with Campus Kitchen and the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, a trip leader for Volunteer Venture and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Casey is grateful for the supportive community she has found at W&L, and for the mentorship of Howard Pickett, director of the Shepherd Program and professor of ethics and poverty studies; Jenny Davidson, associate director of the Shepherd Program; and Ryan Brink, assistant director of the Shepherd Program and Campus Kitchen coordinator.

Janae Darby ’25
Darby will study Arabic in Jordan, Oman or Morocco, and sees the CLS as an important step on her path to pursue a Ph.D. in labor economics. An economics major with minors in Middle East and South Asia studies and poverty and human capability studies, Darby is particularly interested in researching the labor market structure of the Arabian Gulf and believes her time in the Middle East this summer will help her better understand the economic and labor dynamics of the region.

“Being awarded the Critical Language Scholarship will help me understand Arabic dialects and communicate better with local residents,” said the Stafford, Virginia, native. Darby also received a CLS in 2022 but, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the military conflict in Ukraine, many CLS institutes were offered as virtual programs, which led to less exposure to daily usage of dialect.

Darby is grateful for the support of Anthony Edwards, associate professor of Arabic, and Shikha Silwal, associate professor of economics, who have been instrumental in her growing interest in the Middle East and South Asia regions through their class instruction and mentorship.

On campus, Darby is involved in the Student Environmental Action League, Washington and Lee Student Consulting and the Shepherd Program. She is also a former student appointee for the Community Engagement Service-Learning Board.

Gina Kuah ’27
Kuah, a double major in politics and Japanese, will spend the summer studying Japanese in Okayama, Japan. Over eight weeks, Kuah will immerse herself in Japanese language learning with a cohort of students from across the United States. The CLS is an important stepping stone for Kuah both academically and professionally, helping her complete her major requirements, pursue international post-graduate opportunities like the Japan Exchange Teaching Program, and embark on a career in international politics.

Kuah also received a Gilman Scholarship to study at the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan, during the 2025-2026 academic year and is looking forward to jumpstarting her integration into Japanese language and culture with the CLS, and continuing to strengthen her language skills with the Gilman.

“Being awarded this opportunity means so much to me, and learning I received the CLS just a week after the Gilman Scholarship was a surreal experience,” said the Woodbury, Minnesota native. “I am filled with so much gratitude and excitement. I know the experience won’t be easy, but the growth I will achieve will make everything worth it. The CLS will be a turning point in my life; it’s the start of something great, and I’m truly lucky to be a part of it.”

At W&L, Kuah is the treasurer of the African Society, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a Japanese tutor for her professor’s daughter, and an intern for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar as part of the  Washington Term Program this Spring Term. She is also a member of the education committee for the Nabors Service League (NSL), and her involvement with NSL has been a transformative part of her time at W&L. She recalls attending a policy trip to Washington, D.C. with NSL, where she met with D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen ’99 and learned more about his career path and experiences. She describes this trip as an “eye-opener” that inspired her to pursue her interests, take more risks and take advantage of the liberal arts education W&L provides.

Kuah is thankful for the support and mentorship she has received from W&L’s faculty members, including Janet Ikeda, associate professor of Japanese, Kei Yamaguchi, instructor of Japanese, and Kazuya Shirahama, world language teaching assistant for Japanese, who made her language learning experience “fun and rewarding.” Brian Alexander, associate professor of politics, has helped Kuah push herself and grow both academically and personally, and Jenny Davidson, associate director of the Shepherd Program, has been “such a blessing” to Kuah’s W&L experience, and Kuah credits Davidson with helping her find her passions and build community on campus and in the Lexington community.

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