When University of North Georgia freshman Daniel Shearer first learned he was a semifinalist for the Critical Language Scholarship, he was reluctant to celebrate. The member of UNG's Corps of Cadets was excited, but he wasn't a finalist — until now.
"I feel very fortunate to have won," he said. "I honestly didn't have high expectations, but I am glad."
Shearer and three other UNG students were glad to learn March 1 that they were selected as CLS finalists. The scholarship program is a fully-funded overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students. Its goal is to broaden the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages and building relationships between the people of the United States and other countries.
Out of UNG's eight semifinalists announced in January, the four finalists are:
Shearer, who is pursuing a degree in East Asian studies with a concentration in Japanese studies and a minor in leadership, will be in Japan.
Josh Shepherd, who is pursuing a degree in Chinese and a minor in Spanish, will be in China.
Donnie "Jamar" Shumaker, who is pursuing a degree in East Asian studies with a concentration in Chinese and a minor in Chinese language and culture, will be in China.
Rachel Wilson, who is pursuing a degree in finance and a minor in Chinese, will be in China.
Of the remaining semifinalists, all four were named alternates. They are:
Daniel Barker, who is pursuing a degree in mathematics and a minor in Russian.
Hannah Chisholm, who is pursuing a degree in communications with a concentration in multimedia journalism and a minor in Korean.
Leah James, a member of the Corps of Cadets who is pursuing a degree in nursing and a minor in Arabic.
Julia "Rhiannon" Smith, who is pursuing degrees in psychology and modern languages with a concentration in Russian.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairsnew window, CLS is highly competitive, with acceptance rates of 10 percent, said Dr. Victoria Hightower, UNG's assistant director of Nationally Competitive Scholarships. This makes UNG's accomplishment of four finalists and four alternates significant.
