HPU Student Awarded Critical Language Scholarship to Study in Turkey
HIGH POINT, N.C., April 3, 2025 – High Point University senior Mac Mollins was awarded the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Turkish at Ankara University in Ankara, Turkey.
Mollins is an Honors Scholar majoring in history and political science. This is the first time an HPU student has received the CLS, which provides fully funded, immersive summer programs for college students to learn languages that are important to the United States’ interests around the globe.
“Taking part in the Critical Language Scholarship will help me work toward developing my Turkish language skills as I immerse myself in an intensive environment,” said Mollins, who is from Clayton, North Carolina. “I look to use my experience to follow my dreams of working as a political analyst in the State Department.”
Mollins will learn Turkish through formal language instruction supplemented with cultural activities and excursions. He will also learn about daily family life by living with a host family and have one-on-one meetings with a language partner, who will help him explore Ankara’s markets, museums and cafes.
“I look forward to the experiences I will be able to share back home,” said Mollins. “I would like to thank the History Department, Political Science Department and Dr. James Cotton for their support as I’ve continued my educational and language-learning journey.”
Mollins is also one of 11 HPU students and alumni who were recently named semifinalists for the 2025-26 Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Dr. Andrew Tzavaras, assistant professor of history, celebrated Mollins’ success.
“Mac’s outstanding character and devoted study of the Ottoman Empire and the modern nation of Turkey make him an excellent citizen ambassador of the United States in this opportunity as well as his future goals in the U.S. State Department,” Tzavaras said.
The CLS is a program of the U.S. Department of State funded by the U.S. Government and supported by American Councils for International Education. Each summer, more than 500 American students across the country spend approximately eight weeks studying one of a dozen languages overseas or virtually. Participants gain the equivalent of one year of language study, as the CLS Program maximizes language and cultural instruction in an intensive environment.
HPU students who are interested in learning more about this scholarship should contact Cotton, assistant professor of English and director of fellowships and awards, in the Office of National Fellowships and Awards.