Kelly Baker, a senior majoring in international affairs and middle eastern studies from Greensboro, N.C., will travel to Jordan to study Arabic starting this fall. It will be a return visit. Baker studied in Amman during the summer of 2016, and the experience put her on a path toward fulfilling a key goal she’d harbored for years.

“I wanted to study the Middle East and Arabic when I first entered FSU because I felt like it was a region often misunderstood in the public realm, and I have always been interested in the history and culture of the area,” Baker said. “Last summer, I studied Arabic for 10 weeks at the Qasid Arabic Institute where my language skills increased greatly.”

Now, Baker will return to the same institute for a year to work on mastering those language skills. It’s an exciting opportunity that could be the gateway to a fascinating future. 

“I am looking forward to continuing my studies there. I hope to use my knowledge of Arabic and my time in Amman, Jordan to work in the field of foreign policy in the future. I am very honored to have received this award.”

Kelly was among 194 undergraduates nationally to earn scholarships from the federal program, which provides scholars up to $20,000 for 12 months of study.