Natalie Antonik, a third-year international studies major, has been selected to receive a Critical Language Scholarship to study intensive Indonesian for summer 2019. Natalie, who is also majoring in Japanese and minoring in East Asian Studies, will be spending two months in Malang, Indonesia studying a year's worth of intensive Indonesian language. Below is her essay, which details her commitment to language study as well as the significance of this experience and award. Congratulations, Natalie! 

"My interest in Indonesian began in high school when I discovered Indonesian pop music. Now that I’m in college, I’m pursuing my interest in Indonesian through my major in International Studies and minor in East Asian Studies. I’m interested in East Asian geopolitics and security issues, US-Indonesia relations, and Indonesia’s role in the economic development of Southeast Asia. I want to learn Indonesian because there aren't many Americans who speak Indonesian. As Indonesia becomes more influential in the global context, there needs to be more Americans who can speak the language and understand the culture. In order to create effective foreign policy, you need to have a comprehensive understanding of the country’s culture and be able to speak the language.

I want to continue studying international relations and Indonesian in graduate school. I want to become a Foreign Service Officer and use my knowledge of Indonesian and Japanese to create foreign policy regarding Asian-Pacific economic development and security issues. I want to promote cultural diplomacy between the US and Indonesia. I believe if Indonesian pop culture was more accessible and prevalent in the US, Americans would become more fascinated in the country and would want to learn the language. Upon returning from the CLS program, I want to share what I’ve learned about Indonesian culture with my peers and encourage them to study the language.

I believe my experience with intensive language study will make me a successful participant in the CLS program. This semester I’m taking intensive Japanese which covers one academic year’s worth of language study in one semester. I’ve experienced the stressfulness of intensive language study, but I’ve also seen how much I’ve improved in my Japanese. I’ve become more appreciative of the benefits of intensive language study, which is why learning Indonesian in an intensive setting through the CLS program is something that is necessary for my academic and career goals.

Additionally, my experience with cross-cultural communication will help me develop relationships with the people I meet in Indonesia as well as with my CLS cohort. Last fall, I founded the Language Improvement Track at my university, which is an English tutoring program that pairs international students who want to improve their English speaking skills and comprehension of American cultural etiquette with native English-speaking students. I created this program because I saw there was a division between international and American students on campus. I listened to international students who said it was difficult for them to make American friends because their English wasn’t good enough or they didn’t know how to approach them. I wanted to create a fun environment where students from all countries could interact and feel welcomed. Through this program, I learned not only how to teach international students about American culture, but also how to facilitate successful dialogue regarding learning about other peoples’ cultures. I’ll use what I’ve learned from the Language Improvement Track to facilitate meaningful conversations with people I meet in Indonesia and discuss cultural differences in a respectful way."