The Department of World Languages strives to support all Morgan State University students currently enrolled in any languages to achieve a variety of goals in relation to both their graduate and professional careers both during and after their graduation. Through our dedicated faculty, we offer a variety of scholarships that have been homegrown in our own department and institution as well as through established connections with local, state, national and federal agencies and organizations.

If you wish to apply for any of these scholarships, please read the descriptions and student testimonials and note the deadline to apply for a specific scholarship, when applicable.

DEPARTMENTAL SCHOLARSHIPS:

World Languages Scholarship for Excellence in Italian  

Amount $1,000-1,500 per student

Since 2019, this scholarship has awarded annually two or more Morgan State University students through the generosity of the Baltimore-based Associated Italian American Charities of Maryland (A.I.A.C) whose members and donors created the fund in the Morgan State Foundation. The financial support provided by the AIAC is granted to currently enrolled Morgan State University students who not only excel in the program but also aspire to utilize their acquired language skills in their chosen profession. The scholarship has been benefitting Morgan State University students with basic financial needs such as student debt and tuition, student housing, as well as paying for graduate school application and travel expenses.

The criteria for eligibility are based on all of the following:

1. Study for at least two semesters the Italian language and culture (by being enrolled at Morgan State University in any two of the Italian courses offered, i.e., Italian 101, 102, or 203 and 204).
2. Have a documented financial need as indicated by the financial aid office
3. Attain a grade of an A in both Italian 101 and 102 or any intermediate Italian course 
4. Must have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher
5. Write an essay about the importance of Italian language and culture and the importance of the Associated Italian American Charities of Maryland and attend the annual luncheon in December.
6. Students who received the scholarship once might be eligible to reapply if above criteria are still met. The scholarship cannot be awarded more than twice to the same student.

 Application available upon request: Email Dept. Chair Dr. Helen Harrison

Awards granted by nomination by faculty and Department chair
Deadline to apply: November 1

Meet the past student recipients:

NATIONWIDE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDY ABROAD 

BY THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

• The Benjamin Gilman ScholarshipProgram  provides up to $5,000 for U.S. undergraduate Pell grant recipients to study or intern abroad.  Students can receive up to an additional $3,000 to study a critical language.  There is no longer a program length requirement for Gilman, so students can apply for funding to support a study or intern abroad experience of any length as long as it is credit bearing. The application is open each spring and fall, closing in March and October.  The next application period will open this fall for overseas programs that start December 2023 – October 2024. Contact the Dept. Chair Dr. Helen Harrison for more information.
  • A special component of this program, the Gilman-McCain ScholarshipProgram, provides up to $5,000 to study or intern abroad to U.S. undergraduate students who are child dependents of active duty military members and who receive any type of Title IV federal financial aid.
  • The Critical Language Scholarship(CLS) Program provides fully funded intensive summer language institutes overseas in fourteen critical languages for undergraduate and graduate students. Many of the languages require no previous study, so this program is open for students who are passionate about engaging with foreign languages and cultures even if they haven’t been able to study one of the 14 languages previously. The application opens once a year in the fall, with the next application opening this fall for summer 2024 programs. 

MEET THE PAST GILMAN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT:

My name is Jayla Pope and I am from South Bend, Indiana. I graduate Morgan State University in the Spring of 2023 with a major in Human Resource Management and a minor in Spanish. I enrolled in Spanish at MSU because I wanted to continue studying this language while at Morgan to help me achieve my goal of being bilingual. I took various culture and language classes to aid my understanding of the Spanish language while at Morgan. I learned about the Gilman Scholarship through the MSU Office of Study Abroad. My award amount was $5,000. I went to Oaxaca, Mexico through the CECAT Abroad program with Howard University. This study abroad trip gave me the exposure I needed to live abroad. After graduation, I am planning to continue to travel and pursue my studies in Spanish.

Through this 5-weeks study abroad experience allowed me to study Spanish at a University in Oaxaca, along with taking cooking and dance classes with other students. During my time in Oaxaca, I had a foreign exchange partner who informed me on Oaxacan culture and customs.  While in Mexico, I was able to make an impact on my host family who I often cooked for and had interesting discussions. My biggest takeaway from the trip was the community of friends I was able to gain. Even 1 year post travel, I still make an effort to stay in contact and spend time with my network of Howard students . This study abroad was funded through the Gilman scholarship which allowed me to have my first experience abroad, and immerse myself in the Spanish language, a true passion that I will continue to pursue.

My name is Michelle Kamara, I am from Gaithersburg, Maryland I am a recent graduate. I have been studying at MSU for four years and my major is Political Science. I grew up in Guinea, Conakry where I spent 10 years of my life. A fun fact about me is that I speak 6 languages. I enjoy reading, traveling, and learning new things. I chose to take Latin mainly because it was a requirement for my major and because it would help me in my career as a lawyer in the future. I also love languages in general and learning a new one is always fun. I really enjoyed Latin during the two semesters that I took it. I also took Spanish for two semesters, and I loved it as well.

I learned about the Gilman Scholarship when I was trying to get funding for a summer study abroad program which I was not able to attend. I ended up changing my program to the Fall in 2022. The Gilman scholarship offered me $5000 to use towards my study abroad and I could use it for anything. I ended up studying in London where I took three transferable courses. In England, I took many trip within the country as well as to neighboring countries. The Gilman scholarship gave me an unforgettable opportunity as I was able to learn many things outside of the United States. I was able to use my language skills as I traveled to countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Belgium and France. I plan on going to law school after graduation and being fluent in a foreign language will open many doors for me.

o   CLS Spark is a virtual initiative for U.S. undergraduate students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world.  Participants spend the summer learning Arabic, Chinese or Russian through online classes and activities facilitated by native speakers at a host institution abroad. CLS Spark participants receive automatic consideration as semifinalists for the following year’s CLS Program overseas summer institutes, if they choose to apply.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a cultural exchange program designed to send and receive students from other countries working on any degree. Students can choose wherever they wish to study abroad. The Fulbright scholarship takes in students from over 140 countries across the globe.expands perspectives through academic and professional advancement and cross-cultural dialogue. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers unparalleled opportunities in all academic disciplines to passionate and accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals from all backgrounds. Program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English abroad. 

Contact information of the Morgan State University Fulbright Director, Dr. Megan DeVirgilis is here. Any interested students can begin researching award types and regions HERE.

During their grants, Fulbrighters will meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences.  The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. Through engagement in the community, individuals will interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding

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