St. Joseph, Mo. -May 15, 2012-Missouri Western State University graduate Gary Weidemann, a sociology major from Rolla, Mo., has been awarded a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship to study a critical language during the summer of 2012. Weidemann will travel to India for intensive study in Punjabi, a language spoken primarily in Pakistan and India.
“The main reason I applied to this program is that I believe it is necessary to be bilingual, not only for educational and intellectual reasons, although those are very important,” said Weidemann, who graduated this spring. “Practically speaking, it is advantageous to know another language. Our economic and diplomatic ties with India are only getting stronger as India becomes a major global power. These ties will continue to grow through mutual understanding between India and the U.S., and language is at the heart of that understanding.”
More than 5,200 undergraduate and graduate students from around the country applied for the award, with only 631receiving a scholarship to study one of 13 languages deemed critical by the State Department, making it one of the more competitive scholarship programs in the country. Weidemann has never studied any of the languages, and chose Punjabi because he was interested in the history of northern India and central Asia.
“India under British colonialism, Indian independence and the India-Pakistan split, which happened right in the middle of the Punjab, were covered in one of my history classes,” he said. “Learning about these topics has given me a deeper appreciation for the history, society and culture of the Punjab and has whetted my appetite for further study. To do that, I need to begin to learn the language.”
Weidemann will fly to Washington, D.C., in early June for a program orientation, then will travel to Chandigarh, India for several weeks of study. The program provides fully-funded, group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences. One of those enrichment experiences Weidemann most looks forward to is staying with a host family.
“I think this will give me the opportunity to see the culture up close and give me a better understanding of what life is like in the Punjab and India,” he said. “I’m sure it will be a great help as I struggle to learn Punjabi. I’m also excited to meet new people and make friends with both other Americans participating in the program and local Indians.”
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu. Missouri Western is an equal opportunity institution.
-end-