Lisa Wiggins

FLAS Fellow
Lisa Wiggins

About

Lisa Wiggins is a recipient of the Summer 2019 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship. 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 Master’s student in the School of Public Health in the Department of Global Health, and my research focuses on adolescent health, particularly in East Africa. With the population growth in Sub Saharan Africa, the adolescent population is growing, and Swahili will be an invaluable skill working in this part of the world. I love Tanzania and already speak Swahili, but wanted I the opportunity to improve my grammar, writing and comprehension. The FLAS fellowship allowed me to return to Tanzania and work closely with my Swahili teacher, while also learning about Tanzanian history in an interactive way. It also allowed me to continue to pursue my research interests in maternal child and adolescent community health.