Before she had ever conjugated a verb in Arabic, Rice University senior Charlotte Heeley decided the language was worth pursuing. She first traveled to the Middle East as a high school freshman through a youth ambassador program organized by a Colorado nonprofit. Though she didn’t speak the language at the time, Heeley returned from the trip deeply curious about Arabic and the communities where it’s spoken.
“I realized I wanted to increase my understanding of this part of the world,” Heeley said.
That experience sparked a yearslong journey in learning Arabic, one that recently earned Heeley a spot in the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship Program (CLS). She will spend eight weeks this summer in the Omani town of Nizwa, where she will take intensive Arabic courses and participate in cultural activities with local students. Heeley specifically requested Oman after previous study abroad experiences in Morocco and Jordan, hoping for a new perspective on the region.
“What distinguishes Charlotte among language learners is her approach to language acquisition — not as an obligation but with genuine enthusiasm that is infectious and pervades the classroom environment,” said Hossam Elsherbiny, Heeley’s Arabic lecturer and associate director of Rice’s Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication (CLIC).
After taking a college-level Arabic class in high school, Heeley spent part of her gap year enrolled in an Arabic program through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth. She said she stayed determined even after a difficult COVID 19 pandemic-era semester of waking up at 4 a.m. to accommodate time zone differences with Moroccan instructors.
“That first year learning Arabic was really hard,” Heeley said. “Everything’s different — the way you write, the way you read — but after that first year, it began to make sense to me.”
At Rice, Heeley enrolled in every Arabic course available including Critical Analysis of Media Arabic, the university’s most advanced course offered in the language.
“Despite the considerable challenge of adapting to a rigorous academic environment where both modern standard and colloquial Arabic are taught concurrently, Charlotte demonstrated exceptional dedication, excelling in each of her Arabic courses,” Elsherbiny said. “As faculty, it’s particularly gratifying to witness students like Charlotte progress from minimal Arabic proficiency to advanced coursework and ultimately to such a prestigious and competitive scholarship.”
Heeley said she is realistic about the challenges of working in the region long term. While the economics major is open to a career in the Middle East or sub-Saharan Africa, she’s focused on finding opportunities that match both her language skills and professional goals. She said she hopes to pursue a career in economic development, ideally with a focus on energy access.
“One of the career paths I’m considering is working for the U.S. Foreign Service,” she said. “In that case, I would request the Middle East as a location and would be interested in further developing my Arabic skills.”
Programs like CLS are designed to help students like Heeley find their chosen path. Sponsored by the State Department, the program supports more than 500 students annually with fully funded language and cultural immersion in countries deemed critical to U.S. interests. Students selected for CLS complete the equivalent of one year of language study during an eight-week summer session. Heeley’s selection for the scholarship is also a reflection of Rice’s approach to language learning.
“The way in which languages are ‘learned’ at Rice heavily emphasizes critical thinking and independent learning,” Elsherbiny said. “Throughout our language curriculum, linguistic acquisition is inextricably linked with culture.”
That philosophy, paired with students like Heeley, has made an impact. She is the second Rice student in as many years to be selected for the CLS program following sophomore Nathan Chen’s award for studying Korean.
“The consecutive recognition of Rice language students with the Critical Language Scholarship eloquently demonstrates the substantial commitment that the CLIC and School of Humanities devote to excellence in language training,” Elsherbiny said. “We are extremely proud of Charlotte and look forward to seeing all of the wonderful things she’ll be able to accomplish with her language training at Rice.”