SE sophomore Karma McDonald earns scholarship to Middlebury Language School

Southeastern Oklahoma State University sophomore Karma McDonald has been awarded a scholarship to attend the Middlebury Language School this summer for studies in Spanish.

This is the second consecutive year a Southeastern student has earned this scholarship from Middlebury, with Chelsea Maxwell studying Portuguese in the summer of 2024.

"I was pretty shocked, at first, to realize that I was accepted into a program like Middlebury. The news that I was given a full scholarship, especially for a language that was as competitive as Spanish, was something from a dream. Vermont is a long way from Valliant, but Ms. Kelly started me on this road, and Dr. Lincoln gave me the push and the confidence boost that I needed to apply," McDonald said.

"Being one of eight scholarship recipients for such a global language, with so many students needing to learn it, is a huge honor. After Middlebury, I plan to immerse myself in Spanish culture in Spain and bring that experience back to the U.S. to impact elementary classrooms. I want to use what I've learned to inspire others, just as I've been inspired, and make a difference in the way students engage with the world."

Middlebury's Language Schools date back to 1915, with the Spanish School launching in 1917. McDonald will be studying on the Middlebury campus in Vermont for seven weeks in the summer and will complete the Spanish School with the equivalent of nine credit hours of university study.

Middlebury is a highly selective and leading global liberal arts college with a prestigious international graduate school, with faculty and directors from prestigious universities here and abroad. Middlebury believes the study of language in its cultural context belongs in the mainstream of any curriculum as one of the most enlightening and humanizing activities in which one can engage.

"Middlebury's Summer Language Schools attract top candidates from all over the world to train in languages that are of critical need in their industry, their work in the public sector and in their pursuit of Scholarship," said Southeastern Director of Study Abroad and Assistant Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Humanities Dr. Kyle C. Lincoln. "Having our students place into these programs is both a great success story for the whole the Southeastern community to share in and a reminder that the study of foreign languages is a critical component in training well-rounded and high-achieving students to maximize their potential in a global marketplace of ideas. Middlebury's programs prize immersion from breakfast conversations in the morning before classes, co-curricular programming in the afternoon, lectures and film screenings in the evening, and everything in between. The Office of Study Abroad is confident that, although it is another new achievement for Karma, we'll be hearing much more about her success in the future."