May 8, 2009

Kirby Russell. Download image.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Two University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) students have won a 2009 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship to study Arabic in the Middle East. The winners are Kirby Russell, 21, of Covington, Tenn., and Adam Smith, 21, of Henagar.

Russell, a junior who has an individually designed major, will study Arabic in Amman, Jordan this summer. He is the son of Larry Russell of Covington, Tenn., and Joyce Russell of Jasper.

"I'm very excited to have this opportunity," said Russell who plans to someday teach Arabic on the high school level. "It's hard to say exactly what sparked my interest in Arabic, but probably many things, such as international relations, the Quran, friends and film."

Smith, also a junior, is a political science major. He will participate in an Arabic language intensive summer institute in Tangier, Morocco. He is the son of Chris and Yvonne Smith of Henagar.

Adam Smith. Download image.

"I was completely ecstatic and overwhelmed by emotions when I found out that I was chosen for the program," said Smith who is planning a career in health policy. "Arabic is one of the hardest languages to learn, but it has been very rewarding."

The Critical Language Scholarship Program is part of the National Security Language Initiative, a U.S. government interagency effort to expand the number of students learning and mastering critical-need foreign languages. Arabic is just one of the 11 languages taught through the program. The scholarship provides seven to 10 weeks of intensive language instruction in the critical need foreign languages.

About UAB

The UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures offers a full range of traditional language, culture and literature courses, including beginning Arabic language classes.