The Melikian Center: Critical Languages Institute

Caroline Pryor

2017 Title VIII Fellow, Kyrgyz Republic

CLI Language: Russian

"My participation in the 2017 Critical Languages Institute as a Title VIII Fellow in Kyrgyzstan completely transformed my Russian language skills. My confidence and comprehension grew exponentially. I have made many connections attributable to this program, including an invitation to serve as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Moldova. Without the Russian skills I learned through CLI it would not have happened. My improved language skills allowed me to build mutual understanding between the United States and Moldova. This program has opened doors for me and can do the same for many others."

Liz D.

2010 Hungary, Romania

CLI Language: Persian

"With support from the Honors College, I studied in Hungary for a semester and summer on an NSEP/Boren Scholarship, which solidified my interest in living and working abroad. After college, I taught English in Uruguay for a year on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Fellowship, and then studied international relations at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University for my master's degree."

Carolyne Mesa

2019 & 2021, Uzbekistan

CLI Language: Uzbek

"In 2019, I enrolled in Uzbek. Our instructor Sadoat Adilova made this intensive class manageable and exciting. She opened up our eyes to a new world through film, food, and dance.

A fond memory of CLI is performing the Andijon Polka to our peers during Uzbekistan’s culture night. Sadoat Opa choreographed a partnered routine with historic meaning. I became so enamored by them that I intend on continuing learning Uzbek dance while living in the vibrant Khorezm region.

 I am so thankful I received a scholarship and participated in CLI. This experience is the springboard in achieving the career I dreamt of."  

Dr. D. Brian Kim

2006, Poland & 2013, Ukraine

CLI Languages: Polish & Russian

"My first summer with CLI was right after my first year of college.When I found out that I could learn a year's worth of a language in just two months at ASU, it struck me as an opportunity not to be missed. That year, Polish was the CLI offering with the greatest number of speakers in the world — and that was the point I used to justify to my parents that I would be doing something useful! In spite of the rather haphazard reasoning that initially led me to the Polish classroom, I quickly fell in love with the language, and halfway through the summer, I decided to join the portion of the program that would take place in Poznan.

Though I didn't know it at the time, this experience turned out to be foundational for me in many ways, an initial and positive opening onto the world that would eventually determine my career path.  I would have a similar experience years later during my graduate studies in Slavic Languages and Literatures: I was looking for an advanced Russian course abroad and once again found it at CLI, this time in Kyiv. Looking back, CLI has played an instrumental role in my life by directly connecting me to the languages, people, and cultures I have been able to get to know firsthand. I feel lucky and a little awed that this was just as true for the college freshman as it was for the PhD candidate!"

As of 2021, D. Brian Kim is an assistant professor in Russian literature at the University of Pennsylvania.

Evan Tieslink

2010, Tempe & 2013, Uzbekistan

CLI Language: Uzbek

"During my undergraduate ASU experience, I took two years of Uzbek at CLI and one year of Arabic.

I still have Uzbek music on my iPod from my first summer when our teacher would play us music, and for years after classes ended I communicated with my second teacher. It still blows my mind that in a university of over 70,000 students I was in a class with only 1 student, me, for an entire academic year at CLI, essentially a private Uzbek tutor.

"While I do not use Uzbek or Arabic in my life anymore I would 100% absolutely recommend and implore students to take as many classes and opportunities as possible that expose oneself to different cultures, mentalities, geographies, histories, foods, and people."

Greg Xanthos

2011 Title VIII Fellow, Russia

CLI Language: Russian

"The opportunity to study in Tatarstan, Russia with a Title VIII Fellowship broadened my understanding of the Russian-speaking world and the many different ethnic groups that comprise it. In Tatarstan, I lived with a Tatar family and became acquainted with life in Russia’s Muslim-majority, ethnically Turkic regions. That experience sparked my interest in the Russian-speaking Turkic countries of Central Asia, which became the focus of my studies in graduate school.

In recent years, I worked on international programs in Kazakhstan with an American NGO, and the cultural similarities and historical commonalities with Tatarstan made for a smooth transition collaborating with Kazakhs. CLI was an intensive program on which I started on my career path as a Central Asia specialist."

Hannah Spencer

2015-2017, Bosnia and Herzegovina & 2018, Tempe

CLI Languages: BCS & Albanian

"With a passion for foreign languages and cultures, I enrolled at Arizona State University to study Business and Global Politics. I enrolled in the first-year program in Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS) out of sheer curiosity and discovered a natural aptitude and a growing interest in the region as a whole. Over three summers and a total of five months in Sarajevo, I made similar personal connections through language and enjoyed discussions about culture and history, which has inspired my thesis research. I am eager to immerse myself in their language and culture to achieve mutual understanding."

John M. Romero

2012 Title VIII Fellow, Ukraine & 2013 Title VIII Fellow, Russia

CLI Languages: Russian & Tartar

"My time as a graduate student at Arizona State University was enriched by the various resources offered by the Melikian Center. I participated in the Critical Languages Institute studying Russian and Tatar. These programs offered not only the chance to develop my language skills but also to meet other graduate students and spend time abroad in preparation for my extended dissertation research. The Melikian Center is a significant resource for students and members of the community interested in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia."

Mary-Kate Schneider

2011 & 2012 Title VIII Fellow, Tempe, Bosnia and Herzegovina

CLI Languages: BCS

"I use the Bosnian (BCS) language skills that I first obtained at CLI on a daily basis, either to inform my research and teaching on Balkan politics or simply to communicate with friends and colleagues within the region. Incidentally, since the pandemic began I find myself using my language skills even more frequently as video chats with my elderly (and non-English-speaking!) Bosnian neighbors have become a regular event. It’s really a privilege to be able to engage in person-to-person diplomacy like this and to be able to teach and research another part of the world using primary sources—these are things that wouldn’t be possible without language skills."

Paula Cerda Crawford

2011-2012, Tempe

CLI Languages: Albanian

"I took two summers of intensive Albanian at CLI. Through the guidance and support from the CLI office, I was awarded a U.S. Department of State NSEP Boren Scholarship to Kosovo in 2012. I spent an academic year studying in Prishtina, Kosovo to enhance my proficiency in the Albanian language. After my year abroad, I completed my Barrett honors thesis on the inheritance rights of Kosovar Albanian women. In 2014, upon graduating from ASU and receiving excellent guidance from CLI, I applied for and received a Fulbright Teaching Assistant Award to North Macedonia. It was a one-of-a-kind experience to return to the Balkans, but this time to teach English and the American culture in the small town of Kicevo, North Macedonia."

Sean Nonnenmacher

2009-2011 & 2017-2019, Armenia

2018 & 2019 Title VIII Fellow

CLI Language: Armenian

"Our Armenian instructors maintained a classroom environment in which students felt empowered to leverage their own experiences in learning a new language. As an instructor myself I now consciously try to create similar environments for my students.

Studying a critical language through ASU’s CLI really does open up doors to future opportunities, regardless of a student’s disciplinary field or area of interest. My experience offered so much more, because I’ve made lifelong friends in the U.S. and Armenia through the CLI.

Learning Armenian in the CLI gave me the freedom to study a less-commonly-studied language, to meet motivated fellow students, and (it’s no exaggeration to say) to learn with some of the best instructors I’ve ever worked with."

Kate Tanzosch

2013-2015, Kyrgyz Republic and Georgia

CLI Language: Russian

"While I participated in CLI I thought so many times, 'This is the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do.' Then I survived, and it was only the hardest thing until something harder came around, which it always did. I learned that I am more adaptable and resilient than I ever imagined. Moving to a new culture doesn’t scare me anymore, neither does traveling alone. I can handle and make the best of a less-than-ideal situation, and know that once it’s all over and done, I’ll probably look back and actually miss where I was.

If it hadn't been for who I met through CLI and the confidence in my abilities that I gained in the program, I think I would have been too scared to travel to so many places, especially alone."

As of 2021, Kate is a digital English as a Second Language teacher and tour guide in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Tyler Gobble

2018, Tempe

CLI Language: Turkish

"I discovered CLI by chance. In my junior year, a Barrett email from CLI stuck in my mind and I decided I wanted to do it. Taking Turkish with CLI was my turning point, and I applied to Georgetown shortly after. My journey might seem random, but I was always working towards that big goal on the horizon, asking myself what resources there are available to me. I really felt that I was in the right place at the right time. Before coming here, I never understood what a true public institution meant. I’m from California, and schools like UCLA always felt like a shining city on a hill. ASU is truly public-facing, and really engages with the community around it."

After completing his CLI program, Tyler traveled in Turkey before attending graduate school.

Jared Rodriguez

2021 Title VIII Fellow, Virtual Uzbekistan

CLI Language: Uzbek

"As a second-generation immigrant of Colombian and Guatemalan parents, I am the first in my family to seek long-term immersive study of less commonly taught Eurasian languages. I began this journey in Mongolia where I served as an English instructor and ecclesiastical missionary.

In January, I was awarded a grant from the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan to teach English for STEM. I am currently living in Namangan, Uzbekistan and working at Namangan Institute of Engineering and Technology. Here, I co-teach an Introduction to Engineering Design course and represent the U.S. Embassy Tashkent as a cultural ambassador."

As of 2021, Jared is currently living in Uzbekistan.

Brittany Diaz

2016 & 2017, Kyrgyz Republic

CLI Language: Russian

"The most important lesson I learned at CLI specifically was how important it is to understand people and to have an open mind and heart. This world is full of so many beautiful things and cultures that everyone should take the time to explore. I was ignorant to the diversity of the world before coming to ASU, and it really changed my life. Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I never chose to pursue a language career and never moved to Arizona, and I can’t imagine my life any other way."

Graeme Fox

2012, Ukraine

CLI Language: Russian

"My path to studying Russian began with hearing stories from my grandparents, who were from the Pale, in the Russian-Polish borderlands. My grandmother spoke both Yiddish and Russian; and to explore that heritage further, I also read a lot of Russian literature. I first took Russian at CLI in 2011, and the following year attended the overseas program in Kyiv.

What I remember most about that CLI experience was the sense of community. Close conditions and long classroom hours together forged bonds that I still value today, after I remained in touch with several fellow-students. Outside the classroom, I spent a lot of time in conversation with my language tutor, and enjoyed the chance to get to know someone from a wholly different culture." 

Anna Sklenar

2015, Russia

CLI Language: Russian

"This kind of human connection is one of the reasons why I was eager to return to Russia after my first program in Kirov, Russia in 2012. I won the Hastings scholarship from Arizona State University’s Critical Languages Institute to study in St. Petersburg. I had a strong desire to combine my interests of Russian and Mechanical Engineering. As a Boren Scholar, I expanded my understanding of post-Soviet space by studying Russian in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In Kazan and Almaty, I heard a diverse range of stories about what life was like during the Soviet period."

After completing her Russian course with CLI, Anna embarked on a Fulbright Research Fellowship in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Danielle Ross

2000 & 2001, Russia

CLI Language: Tartar

"For me, the most perspective-changing moments at CLI were the weekly presentations and film-viewings that brought together teachers and students from across the different language classes. As an undergraduate, I did not know much about the Balkans or any other part of Eastern Europe. These weekly encounters introduced me to an entire world beyond the US and western European material that students usually encounter in high school history courses, freshman history surveys, and pop culture."

Maria Santiago

2003, Serbia

CLI Language: BCS

"I studied BCS at the Critical Languages Institute in Summer 2003 and went on to win an NSEP/Boren fellowship to spend my junior year abroad in Novi Sad, Serbia. It was Fall 2004, just five years after NATO’s air campaign had attacked Serbia’s infrastructure, and civilians had been killed. One of Novi Sad’s two bridges had still not been repaired, which served as a daily reminder to the city’s residents, as they struggled through rush hour, of the damage done to the country."

Sarah Kotlar

2012, Armenia

CLI Languages: Russian, BCS, & Armenian

"My grandfather was a World War II veteran, and believed the best way to move forward and heal was through closer communication across national borders. He learned German, Japanese and Russian, and I remember being fascinated by my grandfather's ability to have conversations and build authentic relationships in different languages. For my study in Armenia, I ended up arriving late at night in Yerevan, ahead of everyone else, including my professor, Siranush Khandanyan. She arranged for her family to pick me up and take me to our housing; then the next day, her English students came to show me around the city and help me buy some essentials. They showed me their favorite places in the city and bought me all of their favorite foods to try. They taught me new words for the things we encountered throughout the evening and tested their English skills with me.

The exchange of language and culture with new friends is always an exciting experience, but the hospitality and kindness they showed me was something I will never forget. I treasure the lasting friendships that began that day."

Tyler Dupont

2011 & 2012, Russia

CLI Languages: Russian

"In 2013, I was awarded a Title VIII fellowship* to study in Moscow. Prior to traveling to Russia, I reached out to former acquaintances to try to connect with the Russian skateboarding community. They extended a warm welcome, and brought me into the local scene. Among many amazing experiences with the local skaters, I recall in particular one trip I took from Moscow to Kursk, with Gosha Koneyshev, Tolya Titaev, Kirill Korobkov and other acquaintances from Moscow.

The thrill of using my Russian to make my way around the city was a highlight of my time in Russia. As an assistant professor of sociology, I still regret not embarking on foreign language studies earlier, or continuing them longer. Nevertheless, my Russian experiences have remained incredibly influential. I use stories from my time in Russia to illustrate the concepts of deviance and how social norms differ across cultures and contexts. As I continue to research and publish on the identities, hierarchies and media practices of “lifestyle sports,” I am looking forward to the chance to revisit the rich ethnographic material that Russian skateboarders offered me, and that my CLI training gave me the language skills to understand more fully."

*Tyler's Title VIII fellowship was not through CLI. He studied Russian through CLI before his fellowship.

Dara Carney

2018, Denpasar

CLI Language: Indonesian

"While at CLI, I participated in almost every extracurricular event. As a result, I learned a lot more about Eastern European cultures. Seeing as I came to CLI to study Indonesian, I only expected to learn about Indonesian or other cultures in the region. I was surprised and grateful that I learned about another world region I was unfamiliar with.

After the CLI program, I completed my undergraduate degree in communications studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. During my time in Indonesia, I discovered my interest in Southeast Asian culture. So, I applied for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) in Indonesia and was selected. But due to the impacts of the pandemic, I had to apply for alternative placement and will now be going to Laos hopefully within the academic year. I'm excited to be immersed in another Southeast Asian culture and look forward to visiting my friends and host family in Indonesia." 

Yerevan, Armenia

As of 2021, Sean Nonnenmacher is a 5th year Ph.D. candidate in linguistics at the University of Pittsburg, collecting data for his dissertation. He is in the final stages of publishing a research article about fieldwork he completed in Armenia three summers ago as a U.S. Department of State Title VIII Fellow, and in the future he hopes to co-author a textbook and other instructional materials for English-speaking learners of Armenian in collaboration with his former Armenian instructors and fellow students from the CLI.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

As an English Teaching Assistant in Serbia in 2020, Hannah Spencer not only expanded her knowledge of regional and local language and culture, but also prepared for a future career in the Foreign Service in which she hopes to apply her skills to help create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world. 

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

As of 2021, Dara works remotely as a communications specialist for YouthMappers, an international network of 272 student-led university chapters in 60 countries. The students use public geospatial tools for community resilience and to address development challenges worldwide. In her role, she supports external and internal communications to amplify student's stories. She also oversees and implements engagement activities for the network.

Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic

Caroline Pryor attributes her successful application for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Moldova to her experience in the CLI study abroad program. She served for the 2018-2019 academic year, and used her Russian skills from CLI to build mutual understanding between the United States and Moldova.

St. Petersburg, Russia

Anna Sklenar used the Russian skills she developed over 7 years to conduct interviews in Ekaterinburg, Russia as part of a Fulbright Research Fellowship from 2019-2020. Her project investigated the link between nostalgia for the Soviet era and populism. As of 2021, she is a policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Kyiv, Ukraine

John Romero is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Georgia. Previously as a Postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University, John Romero worked within the Russian Studies Workshop, a unit dedicated to training the next generation of Russia specialists.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Evan Tieslink no longer uses his language studies in his professional life. However, in Washington DC he works with many number of people from other countries. Learning about other cultures allowed him to be more understanding and accepting of people of different languages, religions, cultures, and ways of thinking than himself.