Jeanelle Sales

BA, Political Science

About

South Asia Center FLAS Fellow: Academic Year 2019-20

FLAS has allowed me to continue my final year at the University of Washington where I am pursuing an undergraduate degree in the Political Science Department, with a focus on international security. Although my parents are very supportive of my higher education goals, I have relied entirely on the generosity of scholarships for the previous three years. Becoming a recipient of FLAS for my last academic year was the sole reason I was able to continue studying international security, but especially Urdu and South Asia.

Before FLAS, I had been studying Urdu for two years prior due to my interest in utilizing my language skills towards government intelligence. However, the opportunity from FLAS to learn more about the culture in South Asia altered my career goals and priorities. I now aspire to use Urdu as a way to connect and communicate with the South Asian community as I pursue a career in law enforcement. Additionally, I envision using my language learning skills to learn other related languages post-graduation. My FLAS award enabled the continuation of my undergraduate studies while steering my prospective career in a more rewarding direction.