Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

FLAS fellowships administered by the Center for Asian Studies (CAS) are awarded competitively to students studying modern Asian languages. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) funds and oversees these awards, under the provisions of Title VI of the Higher Education Act. Funding is contingent upon annual ED program approval, Federal regulations, and continued Congressional funding, all of which may change from year to year. FLAS awards cannot be deferred.

FLAS Fellowships for Graduate Â鶹ÒùÔº

FLAS Fellowships for Undergraduate Â鶹ÒùÔº

2024 Recipients - Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships 

Graduate Student Academic Year 2024-2025

Aaron Bhatoya, Hindi; History

Iona Bruce, Chinese; Asian Languages and Civilizations
Hello! I'm an incoming MA student in the Chinese department for the Fall of 2024 and will be using the FLAS support to begin my studies in Japanese in addition to my masters level courses. I recently came back to the US after a year studying Mandarin in Taichung, Taiwan and I am excited to dive into Japanese language and culture courses at CU Boulder. My academic interests include: early Chinese tales of the supernatural, the psychology of spaces like tombs and houses in Chinese literature, the history of blue and white porcelain, early medieval Chinese representations of outside cultures, divergent representations of sex and gender across cultures, and the history of ecological management in East Asia. Outside of school I enjoy travel, photography, cosplay, running, and hiking. 

Nicholas Christoffersen, Korean; Mathematics
My name is Nicholas Christoffersen, and I am a 3rd year mathematics Ph.D. student at CU Boulder and a FLAS fellowship recipient in Korean. After my fellowship year, I plan to conduct a portion of my Ph.D. research with leading random matrix theorists at the Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology.

Meredith Church, Punjabi; Linguistics
I am a Linguistics PhD student going into my fourth year this fall, and over the summer I will be studying the Punjabi language in Chandigarh, India, through the American Institute of Indian Studies. My focus area in linguistics is language contact, studying how languages change over time in multilingual communities, and South Asia is a fascinating case study for multilingualism and language contact. I have already studied both Hindi and Urdu, major languages in contact with Punjabi as a border language. I'm excited to explore the Punjabi language and culture in Chandigarh this summer thanks to a FLAS award from CU Boulder!

Jake Fischer, Chinse; Asian Languages and Civilizations

Nicolas Jones, Japanese; History
My name is Nicolas Jones, and I am an MA student in the History Department. I specialize in the military occupation of Japan by the Allied Powers. I received my bachelor's degree from the Metropolitan State University of Denver, where I majored in history and minored in secondary education. Before coming to CU Boulder, I taught in Denver Public Schools for a year and a half. Outside of school, I enjoy watching old movies and hiking.

Emily Swertfeger, International Affairs
My name is Emily Swertfeger and I am a PhD student studying U.S. foreign relations. I study the Cold War era with a focus on the influence of non-state actors in diplomatic dealings in the Middle East. I am interested in questions of political economy, Third-Worldism, decolonial movements, and religion. Prior to coming to CU Boulder, I taught high school Social Studies and ESL. 

Graduate Student Summer Language Program 

Meredith Church Punjabi; Linguistics
Nicolas Jones Japanese; History
Jessica Misiorek Japanese; Anthropology

Undergraduate Student Summer Language Program 

Tarrah Connolly  Hindi; Psychology
Sophia Gordon  Japanese; Anthropology, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Nicholas Munroe  Japanese; Industrial Design, Metropolitan State University of Denver

2023 Recipients - Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships

Graduate Student Academic Year

Aaron Bhatoya, History Department, Language - Hindi
Jeanne Cho, History Department, Language - Japanese
Jake Fischer, Asian Lanuages and Civilizations, Language - Korean

Graduate Student Summer Language Program

David Bachrach, Geography Department, Language - Indonesian
Gabriel Hooper, Asian Languages and Civilizations, Language - Japanese (declined the award)
Chelsea Kennedy, Religious Studies Department, Langiage - Arabic
Tsering Lhamo, Geography Department, Language - Nepali

Undergraduate Student Summer Language Program

Andrew Ecker, Asian Languages and Civilizations, Language - Japanese
Aidan Euler, Physics Department, Tibetan and Himalayan Studies Certificate, Language - Tibetan