Andrea Pinon Awarded the Critical Language Scholarship

The Graduate College is pleased to announce that Andrea (Andy) Pinon has been awarded the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS). CLS is a fully-funded, intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Andy will be studying Swahili in Arusha, Tanzania, in summer 2019.

More than 5,000 students apply for this distinguished scholarship each year, and only 10% are selected. Andy’s selection as a finalist also marks the second year in a row that a graduate student at Texas State has received this prestigious award.

Andy received her M.S. in geography from Texas State University, and she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in geography. She also completed her B.S. at Texas State, was a Terry Scholar, and graduated from the Honors College. As a first-generation college student, she credits study abroad with enhancing her childhood love of geography; traveling the world and experiencing different cultures, people, and landscapes have increased her awareness of the relationship humans have with the planet.

Receiving the CLS scholarship is a professional milestone in Andy’s academic career because she will be able to study Swahili in preparation for future dissertation fieldwork in Swahili-speaking parts of central Africa. Specifically, Andy hopes to use her Swahili language skills to research the effects of gorillas on landscape erosion and sedimentation. 

Andy attributes her success to her regular meetings with external funding coordinator and CLS graduate campus advisor Dr. Andrea Hilkovitz, specifically her insightful and honest comments on her essay drafts. She says, “I truly could not have done this without her!” The Graduate College is very proud of her accomplishment and wishes her the best as she embarks on this exciting opportunity!