Rebecca Hyde, a freshman majoring in international studies, has received a prestigious Critical Languages Scholarship. She is the third UAB student named this year, joining juniors Leah Berkebile and (Charity) Yoonhee Ryder.
The scholarship is a program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Since 2006, the CLS Program has offered intensive overseas study in the critical-need languages of Arabic, Bangla, Hindi, Punjabi, Turkish and Urdu. Last year, approximately 600 scholarships were awarded for 13 languages.
Hyde will travel to Oman and study Arabic. The 18-year-old from Pensacola, Fla., plans to improve the design and functionality of refugee camps around the world after college.