Skip to main content

JSIS Hosts Reception for FLAS Fellows, Features South Asia Center Fellows

Five FLAS fellows spoke of the value of the FLAS fellowship to their personal and academic development. From left, Abdulwajid “Wahidi” Abdulwahid, MA student, International Studies–South Asia, South Asia Center, Urdu; Muhammad Abdulqayumov, MA student, International Studies—REECAS, Center for Global Studies, Turkish and South Asia Center, Persian; Thyda Ros, MSW Social Work, Southeast Asia Center, Khmer; Julia Williams, BA Political Science and Chinese, Political Science/Asian Languages and Literature, Center for Global Studies and East Asia Center, Chinese; Reuben Martinez, MA student, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, College of the Environment, Canadian Studies Center, Nuu-chah-nulth.

January 30, 2023

On January 6, the Title VI Centers in the Jackson School of International Studies hosted a reception to celebrate the recipients of Summer 2022 and Academic Year 2022-23 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships. The six Title VI Centers awarded a total of 83 FLAS fellowships to students representing 12 departments across the College of Arts and Sciences and 11 professional schools. Awards were made in 19 unique languages, including three (Hindi, Persian, and Urdu) supported by the South Asia Center.

Abdulwajid “Wahidi” Abdulwahid, FLAS Fellow in Urdu, was one of five fellows to give remarks at the reception. Originally from Afghanistan, Wahidi cited his experiences growing up in refugee camps in Pakistan, and going on to work as an interpreter for the U.S. Armed Forces, as inspiring his goal to become a specialist in religious political groups in the region.

Another South Asia Center FLAS recipient, Nathan Mark, was recently quoted for a story in the annual Jackson Report:

“FLAS has been an indispensable component of my collegiate career for two main reasons: It has given me the tools and resources to enrich myself in the Persian language, allowing me to work intimately with Afghan sources in their language of origin, and surrounded me with like-minded individuals dedicated to language and academic study, fostering a productive and collaborative work environment.”