Henry Milander

About
Henry Milander was a recipient of the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship in 2015-2016. The award provides undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students with financial support to develop fluency in less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) and expertise in the regions in which these languages are spoken. Every year the Center for Global Studies awards between 12-15 fellowships to UW students. Click here to learn more.
I am a dual-degree undergraduate candidate in International Business, Finance, and International Studies. My academic work and interests largely focus on understanding the way a country or region’s economic and social development is shaped by politics. I hope to work for a multilateral organization such as the UN or World Bank with operations in the Middle East and thus I combined my regional interests with studying Arabic. With the help of the Arabic summer FLAS, I was able to quickly build upon my previous Arabic studies and form a better understanding of the language as well as the diversity of the region’s cultures. Receiving the FLAS provided me the opportunity to become immersed in the environment of Jordan and to make vast language gains in a short period of time. My experience also gave me new direction as I decided to supplement my business degree with political economies. After further studying, I will be happy to say that FLAS will have been instrumental in allowing me to work “on the ground” in Arabic-speaking countries.
Read about Henry’s time abroad through FLAS in his recent Jackson School article, “Business, Borders, and Friendship: Travels in Morocco with FLAS fellow Henry Milander”