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This award is to recognize excellent undergraduate students who have exhibited extraordinary accomplishments in their studies of any World Language taught at the University of Virginia. The student must have demonstrated a high aptitude for cultural awareness and sensitivity as a Global Citizen.

Award Amount

• One or more awards for an amount of up to $1,000 will be given.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in at least one of the World Language courses offered at UVa at the 3000 level or above and who will be  enrolled at the university in the following Fall semester.

• Applicants must present a sincere devotion to language learning, as well as a deeper interest in and commitment to the learning of at least one of the languages taught at UVa.

• Applicants must hold a minimum GPA of 3.5 in all the language courses they have previously taken at UVa.

Application Materials

All applicants are required to submit a portfolio that has been endorsed by a language faculty member at UVa. The following items must be included in the portfolio: 

1. Supporting documents or evidence of the applicant’s language achievements:

    a. Speaking samples that could attest to continuous improvement of communication skills in one or more target languages

    b. Writing samples from at least two language courses the applicant has taken at the university

    c. Optionally, additional written or audio/video materials that could provide further evidence for the applicant’s progress, skills, and current proficiency

2.  A support letter from a UVa language faculty member. The letter, which should include an evaluation of the materials submitted by the student, must be directly emailed to the IWL Student Award Committee: Tomomi Sato (ts2fn@virginia.edu) and Maria Esparza Rodriguez (mre4ab@virginia.edu).

3. A one-page personal statement in both the target language and English, which should articulate:

    a. How language education has made a significant impact on their academic as well as personal life

    b. The projected role of language education in the applicant’s future academic engagement, as well as professional engagement as a global citizen in the 21st century

Submission Procedure

• The deadline for student applications is March 22, 2024.

• Students who are interested in submitting electronic materials should contact and send all the material to the IWL Student Award Committee via Email, please make sure to send ALL required materials. 

• For inquiries, please contact the IWL Student Award Committee: Tomomi Sato (ts2fn@virginia.edu) and Maria Esparza Rodriguez (mre4ab@virginia.edu).