UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State alumna Heather Novak earned a Critical Language Scholarship, providing her the opportunity to further develop her Mandarin language skills while living abroad. Novak, of Northampton, Pennsylvania, graduated from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in linguistics and a minor in Chinese, and a master’s degree in teaching English as a second language from the College of the Liberal Arts.

Novak said earning a CLS has been a long-held aspiration, and she has twice applied for one in the past. She said she appreciated the program’s commitment to fostering equity in study abroad opportunities. 

“As a student veteran, I've noticed a lack of representation and targeted initiatives for demographics like ours in study abroad programs. The CLS stands out to me for its commitment to fostering equity in study abroad opportunities, especially for minority college students.” 

Novak is currently traveling abroad in Taiwan and South Korea and said she hopes to establish herself long-term in Taiwan and teach English as a second language. She also said she wants to advocate for diversity and inclusion in study abroad programs, particularly for adult learners and student veterans.  

“Moving forward, I am keen on pursuing a career that intersects language education, advocacy and diversity initiatives,” Novak said. 

While at Penn State, Novak held a work-study role with the Office of Veterans Programs, which she said gave her valuable insights into the student veteran experience and academic success. She is a former participant in the CLS Spark program, a virtual program that brings together learners of Russian, Chinese or Arabic together in online classes led by native speakers from a host institution abroad. Her master’s thesis focused on student veterans’ perspectives on language acquisition and study abroad initiatives.  

“What I cherish most about my field is its practical application — finding solutions within language and linguistics that directly impact real-world contexts,” Novak said. “My faculty’s support and exposure to diverse ideas have been invaluable in shaping my journey as a scholar.” 

Three Penn State alternates were also chosen for a CLS: 

• Rayna Alexander, master’s degree in international affairs, was chosen as an alternate for an in-person CLS for Swahili. 

• Paige Bish, graphic design major, was chosen as an alternate for an in-person CLS for Korean. 

• Maria Jorge, biomedical engineering major, was chosen as an alternate for the virtual CLS Spark for Chinese 

About the Critical Language Scholarship  

CLS recipients spend eight to 10 weeks studying one of 15 languages deemed critical to national security and economic prosperity: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish or Urdu. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and developed in partnership with local institutions in countries where these languages are commonly spoken. More than 8,000 students have been awarded a CLS since 2006.  

To learn about the Critical Language Scholarship and application support, visit Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring (URFM). URFM can help students navigate the application process and prepare the required short answers and essays, but there is no required University involvement.   

Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring is part of the Penn State Office of Undergraduate Education.