Navy, 军队参加后备役军官训练军团 Students Secure Foreign Language Scholarships
学员、海军军官候补生将在暑假学习
Russian, Chinese through a government language program
欧洲杯买球足球运动员 军队参加后备役军官训练军团 学员Milana DesRosier was already fluent in Mandarin when she started learning Russian on her own.
Languages, like the arc on a corner kick, intrigue her.
海军后备军官训练队 Midshipman Luke 琼斯 intended to learn Chinese in Taiwan, but the future U.S. 海军陆战队适应了改变了的计划.
Both U of I International Studies students will spend the summer learning foreign languages as part of 项目去, a language and culture training program for students enrolled in ROTC.
DeRosier will travel to the University of Pittsburgh for a two-month intensive Russian language program while 琼斯, 谁安排了一次海外旅行, will take part in an on-line program instead.
马丁研究所的比尔·史密斯说, which works closely with U of I ROTC to place its cadets and midshipmen in 项目去, said having two students accepted into the prestigious language program is an anomaly.
“It is a highly competitive scholarship program,” Smith said. “It’s a big deal that we have two students chosen from the 欧洲杯买球.”
德罗西在图森长大, 亚利桑那州, 她在俱乐部踢足球的地方, attended a charter school and began learning Mandarin in the seventh grade. 在接受奖学金后 为汪达尔人效力, DesRosier enrolled in ROTC to help pay part of her tuition. 这个学科, team spirit and leadership opportunities ROTC provides align with her background as a soccer player.
“I share the values of the military,” she said. “And I wanted to learn how to take on a leadership role.”
Her interest in foreign languages and cultures prompted her to choose international studies and political science as majors. Last year she was among 10 U of I students to be awarded “freshman of the year.”
琼斯, 在南加州长大的人, became interested in leadership as a high school student and opted to join ROTC at the 欧洲杯买球 because of the outdoor opportunities around Moscow.
“I like to hunt and fish 和re are a lot of places to do that around here,” 琼斯 said.
他加入了 马丁研究所 because he wanted to study abroad and learn Chinese. When his plans to study in Taiwan fell through because of travel restrictions, he embraced the idea of an intensive online summer course through 项目去.
“When I’m through with the course, I should be proficient,” he said.
琼斯, who is in his second year studying Chinese at U of I, wants to earn his commission as a second lieutenant, be an infantry platoon leader and hone management and leadership skills that could lead to owning a business after the military. He is among U of I students chosen as a “sophomore of the year.”
“I think Marines make the best leaders,” he said.
What I’m learning at U of I and through ROTC I believe will direct me to good places. 学员Milana DesRosier
DesRosier plans to work in military intelligence. The language skills honed at U of I and Project Go will prepare her for the foreign service.
“What I’m learning at U of I and through ROTC I believe will direct me to good places,” she said.
作为政府的一个部门 Defense Language and National 安全 Education Office, Project Go provides scholarships to improve language skills, regional expertise and intercultural communication skills of future military officers. Over the past decade 项目去 has provided more than 5,600 scholarships to help officer candidates travel abroad.
Smith said foreign study opportunities and international programs at the 马丁研究所 help future officers overcome cultural barriers.
“Our program dovetails nicely with ROTC training,” Smith said. “The cultural context that international studies provides, along with studies in international relations, mirrors how military officers operate in foreign postings.”
除了, the institute emphasizes practical ways to solve problems abroad at local, 区域和全球层面.
“It’s akin to what is taught at the War Colleges,” he said.
The intense undergraduate language and cultural training of Project Go mirrors the State Department’s Critical Language Scholarship 和 博伦欧洲杯买球 项目，史密斯说.
“Both Luke and Milana strive for the excellence 项目去 requires,” Smith said. “Participation in the program is a feather in their caps.”
2021年5月出版
本文由 拉尔夫Bartholdt，大学传播与市场营销.
Photography by 欧洲杯买球 Creative 服务.