May 23, 2018

Hannah Kelly-Quigley '20, neuroscience major Hannah Kelly-Quigley ’20, neuroscience majorHannah Kelly-Quigley, a rising junior neuroscience major at Susquehanna University, has been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship to study for eight weeks this summer in Xi’an, China.

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains.

Kelly-Quigley, from Morristown, N.J., said she has always been fascinated with Chinese culture—an interest encouraged and cultivated by her adoptive parents.

“When Mandarin was offered at my high school, I jumped at the chance to take it,” she said. “As I learned more about the language, my initial curiosity that stemmed from being adopted faded, and I came to appreciate the language itself.”

Kelly-Quigley hopes to teach English in China for a year following graduation and eventually combine her love of language and her neuroscience major to work in the medical field.

“I’d like to help bridge the language gap between English- and Mandarin-speaking countries, so that the trade of information and technology is easier,” she said. “I think the ability to speak another language is an asset to science as it would break language barriers that prevent advancements.”

CLS is part of a wider government initiative to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to national security and economic prosperity.

The CLS Program is operated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is supported in its implementation by American Councils for International Education.