Chloe Moubarak, a sophomore at the University of North Texas (UNT) Honors College, has been awarded the prestigious Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) from the U.S. Department of State. Moubarak, majoring in business computer information systems, was among 500 American college students selected from over 5,000 applicants to participate in this competitive program. The CLS Program aims to enhance U.S. national security and economic competitiveness by fostering foreign language skills deemed ‘critical’ by the Department of State. These languages include Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, and Urdu, amongst others. Moubarak chose to study Arabic in Nizwa, Oman, where she attended courses daily, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and engaged in cultural activities such as hiking and cooking. The experience provided not only language skills equivalent to two college courses but also improved her time management and study skills. As someone who frequently travels to Lebanon and speaks a significant amount of Arabic, Moubarak appreciated the program’s contribution to her academic goal of minoring in Arabic. The CLS Program encourages continued language study and aims for participants to integrate their skills into future academic or professional endeavors. Moubarak’s achievement highlights the global opportunities available to UNT students and the support they receive from the university community in pursuing such endeavors.
