Critical Language Scholarship

George Mason students earn prestigious fellowships across disciplines

Susan Martonik — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:04:49 +0000

George Mason students earn prestigious fellowships across disciplines Susan Martonik Thu, 07/02/2026 - 11:04

This past spring, nearly a dozen 91�� students received nationally competitive fellowships and scholarships, supporting work across a wide range of fields. Addressing topics from artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom to air pollution to the history of musical instruments, these honors highlight the breadth of student achievement and underscore that funding awards are within reach for students in any field.

“This year alone, George Mason students have benefited from more than $168,000 in funding to further their education, study abroad, engage in meaningful research, and more,” said Megan Bruening, director in the Office of Fellowships. “These prestigious grants and awards open the door to unique opportunities that foster personal growth and build valuable academic and professional skills.”

Several of this year's award recipients were recognized at the May Board of Visitors meeting. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Recent fellowship recipients include:

Ashleigh Williams, Fulbright Award and Berlin Program Dissertation Fellowship
In September 2026, Williams, a historian of race, visual culture, and socialist internationalism, will travel to Germany to conduct research for her dissertation on the racial politics of the German Democratic Republic between 1961 and 1996. Williams is pursuing a doctorate in history in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Cora Sula, Fulbright Award
Sula, a third-year PhD student in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology in the College of Engineering and Computing, will study the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in classrooms in Estonia. As one of the few countries with a national rollout of AI-assisted classrooms, Sula will investigate how this initiative is shaping Estonian teachers’ professional practices and classroom pedagogy.

Lina Bondesson, Critical Language Scholarship
Selected from a competitive pool of more than 4,500 applicants nationwide, Bondesson, a conflict analysis and resolution major in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, will study Korean language and culture. The opportunity is part of a U.S. State Department program that provides immersive experiences in languages critical to the United States’ national security and economic prosperity.

Xavier Isaac, Boren Fellowship
An international security major in the Schar School of Policy and Government, Isaac’s fellowship will allow him to travel to Japan. The Boren award provides funding for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study critical languages abroad while committing to future public service to enhance U.S. capabilities, deterrence, and readiness.

Sofie Strompf, Goldwater Scholarship
Strompf, an Honors College student and neuroscience major in the College of Science, has received funding to continue her education at George Mason. Created to support future leaders in the STEM field, the scholarship was awarded for Strompf’s curiosity, discipline, and vision to become a research leader.

Xiaorong (Sherry) Shan, COVES Policy Fellowship
Shan, a Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science (COVES) Policy Fellowship recipient, will spend her summer serving as an advisor at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. In this role, she will work on environmental justice-related initiatives, including updates to the environmental justice guidance in the permitting process and supporting community engagement efforts. Shan is a civil and infrastructure engineering major the College of Engineering and Computing.

Yingjie Zhang, COVES Policy Fellowship
A PhD candidate in bioinformatics and computational biology in the College of Science, Zhang will complete his COVES fellowship with Virginia Bio, a statewide nonprofit trade association representing the life sciences industry in the commonwealth. He will bring his research experience in AI-driven drug discovery and development to the fellowship while expanding his understanding of the intersection between science, artificial intelligence, and state-level policy.

Jayme Kurland, Smithsonian Institution Fellowship
Kurland, a PhD candidate in history in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will conduct research at the Smithsonian Museum of American History as part of her predoctoral fellowship. Her dissertation research investigates the roles women have played in the early history of the Fender Electric Instruments Company.

Alexandra Miller, Urban Communication Foundation Research Assistance Grant
Miller received a grant to support her project, “You Can’t Do That Here: Misuse of Space in New York at the Turn of the Twentieth Century.” A doctoral student in history in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Miller researches green spaces, most recently urban parks and playgrounds in the American Progressive Era.

Ali Kothawala, COMTO DC Scholarship
Kothawala, an earth systems and geoinformation sciences major in the College of Science, received an inaugural Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) DC scholarship in recognition of his academic achievement, leadership potential, and commitment to advancing excellence in transportation and infrastructure.

The Office of Fellowships supports current George Mason students and alumni in preparing strong applications for nationally competitive grants and scholarships. In the 2025-26 academic year, the office assisted more than 135 students.

“The fellowship application process is worthwhile, even if students or alumni don’t receive an award,” said Bruening. “Applicants strengthen their communication skills, enhance their goal-setting abilities, and expand their professional network, all while gaining clearer direction for their academic and professional path.”

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Alumna Gains Global Perspective to Improve Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

Wasiq Muhammad Muhammad Ali — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 18:42:31 +0000

Alumna Gains Global Perspective to Improve Opportunities for Students with Disabilities Wasiq Muhammad… Mon, 07/25/2022 - 14:42

Each year, hundreds of American students, aged eighteen to twenty-four, vie for the opportunity to work and study in Germany through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals program. The reciprocal program, which has run for thirty-nine years, selects seventy-five Americans and seventy-five German professionals to spend a year experiencing life in their respective cultural-exchange nations.

This year, Mason is celebrating the selection of Honors College alumni, Abigail Hawkins, to the prestigious CBYX program. Hawkins, who graduated from Mason in May 2022, majored in global affairs with concentrations in human security and Middle East and North Africa Studies, and a minor in Arabic.

Throughout her undergraduate study, Hawkins worked with Mason’s College Diabetes Network and gained experience in the nonprofit sector to improve healthcare affordability and accessibility.

Alongside her studies at Mason, Hawkins is a two-time alumna of the US Department of State's Critical Language Scholarship (CLS), a program designed by the U.S. government to expand the number of American students, who represent a range of majors and disciplines, studying and mastering critical foreign languages. In addition to her participation in the CLS program, Hawkins has studied abroad in Jordan, Spain, and Japan.

With her newest opportunity in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals program, Hawkins continues to forge a path for herself in international education with the goal of improving access to study abroad opportunities for students with disabilities and chronic illnesses.

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A champion for health equity, senior leader raises the bar

ckearney — Tue, 04 May 2021 17:03:58 +0000

A champion for health equity, senior leader raises the bar ckearney Tue, 05/04/2021 - 13:03

Erica Harp. Photo provided

Health equity is a motivator for graduating senior Erica Harp.

Her philosophy is simple: Everyone should have access to affordable, culturally sensitive, and comprehensive health care, no matter your socioeconomic status or identity.

“Community health is so important because it takes a preventive, systemic, and holistic approach to health problems,” said Harp, who is majoring in community health and Spanish, and is a member of Mason’s Honors College. “Public health considers the environmental, political, and social determinants that impact a certain health outcome or make access to health care more difficult for vulnerable communities.”

In 2019, Harp was a research assistant on an OSCAR Summer Team Impact project that developed an eye-tracking study and survey to evaluate what kind of alcohol product packaging is most salient and attractive to youth.

In 2020, she worked with Matthew Rossheim, assistant professor of public health, on another OSCAR Summer Team Project to develop and evaluate counter-marketing against electronic cigarettes. Harp presented a poster with results of this research at the American Academy of Health Behavior’s virtual conference in March 2021.

“Graphic health warnings have been used in cigarette advertising for many years,” Harp said. “But just the past few years, we have seen a lung injury epidemic from e-cigarettes.”

Harp had two study-abroad experiences at Mason: an eight-week Critical Language Scholarship program in India as a part of the U.S. State Department program, and a research project in Argentina, where she investigated the access incarcerated women have to sexual health services.

“I learned a lot about Argentina’s public health care system and what health care delivery looks like across the country and in many of the different providences across Argentina,” she said.

While in Argentina, Harp improved her fluency in Spanish. She currently volunteers at the Culmore Clinic, where she uses her foreign language skills to provide Spanish to English medical interpretation for the Spanish speaking immigrant population.

“Erica is very organized, takes initiative, and has creative solutions,” Rossheim said. “I am very glad to see Erica’s passion for improving public health, safety, and well-being. I have no doubt that she will continue to make great contributions to society.”

Beyond her research, Harp participated in the Honors College Connects program, where she worked with the Cornerstones nonprofit on a neighborhood outreach program and has interned for the National Association of Community Health Centers. She was also part of the Student Health Advisory Board and George Mason Democrats, and was president of Roosevelt at Mason, a policy and advocacy think tank.

As a senior, Harp worked to form a coalition of students who are interested in addressing food insecurity on campus.

“A fantastic part about my time at Mason is being involved in student organizing, advocating for student needs, and bringing awareness to relevant issues,” said Harp, who plans to work for a public health nonprofit in Northern Virginia after graduation.

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Critical Language Scholarship

George Mason students earn prestigious fellowships across disciplines

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Alumna Gains Global Perspective to Improve Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

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