University of Iowa sophomore Kara Juhl, who has never traveled outside the U.S., will focus on her Spanish proficiency in Santiago, Chile for the fall 2025 semester.

The scholarship is intended to support students who study abroad with the intent to serve as Global Access Ambassadors upon their return to the UI campus.

A Davenport, Iowa, native, Thomas will participate in the African Flagship Language Initiative, beginning with summer studies at the University of Florida in Gainesville before traveling to Arusha, Tanzania, for the fall semester.

Eltayeb Ahmed, Natalie Kehrli, and Isabella Rivera share how the grant gave them opportunities to grow outside the classroom.

“Seeing a local community form between Argentine natives and foreigners from around the world, and participating in this exchange, I learned so much about the possibilities of cultural exchange."

Brenda Gao, a University of Iowa student studying psychology, from Iowa City, Iowa, has been awarded a 2025 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Japanese this summer in Okayama, Japan.

Global Access Ambassador Grace Ziomek, a double major in English & creative writing and theatre arts, participated in the IES Dublin Writers Program in fall 2024.

Emma Anderson, a University of Iowa student studying international relations and political science, from Boone, Iowa, has been awarded a 2025 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Persian this summer in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. 

Malvika Khadiya, a UI political science student from Cedar Falls, Iowa, has been awarded a 2025 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study in Latvia this summer at Dauzgavpils University for an intensive Russian language program.

Mairen Thompson, a University of Iowa graduate student studying world language education, from Tipton, Iowa, has been awarded a 2025 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study in Japan this summer at Okayama University for an intensive Japanese language program.

“If I could leave you with one piece of advice from my trip, it would be this: it is never too late to begin your greatest journey.”

Natalie Kehrli, a Global Access Ambassador and senior majoring in psychology, participated in the Women’s Empowerment in the Dominican Republic program.