Coastal Carolina University junior Annamarie “Frankie” Fulmer, of Lexington, S.C., was awarded the 2022 CLS Spark Award through the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program to study Mandarin. This is the inaugural year of this national competition. Fulmer, a student in the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts, is pursuing a major in languages and intercultural studies, focusing on Mandarin and German, and a minor in Asian studies.

For 11 weeks in Fall 2022 and 11 weeks in Spring 2023, Fulmer will participate in a virtual immersive language and cultural program through Dalian University of Technology in Dalian, China. The CLS Spark, along with the CLS intensive summer language program, is part of a U.S. government initiative to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to national security and economic prosperity.

Over 760 applicants, from 322 different higher education institutions across 39 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, applied for the 2022 CLS Spark pilot program to study Chinese, Russian, or Arabic. Fulmer was one of 40 students selected for the Chinese program.

“I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to study Mandarin through the immersive CLS Spark course,” said Fulmer. “I look forward to making lasting professional relationships with people in my cohort who are from many different places in the United States. I am grateful to the professors and staff that helped me get to this point.”

Fulmer entered CCU in her sophomore year after transferring from University of South Carolina Beaufort. She had planned to pursue a history major, but after taking a Chinese language course taught by Xinyi Tan, Ph.D., she discovered her passion for language learning. Fulmer attributes cultural events such as the mid-autumn festival and Chinese New Year celebration to helping her find her place and community at Coastal. She also participates in CCU’s Chinese and German clubs and the German conversation table.

Fulmer plans to study abroad, continue gaining proficiency in Mandarin and German, and pursue additional language studies. She is dedicated to working toward positive change by encouraging cultural awareness among people she meets. She aspires to become a university professor and work in international relations with the Department of State.

The upcoming deadline for the 2023 CLS and CLS Spark is Nov. 15, 2022. Students interested in applying should contact campus representatives Judith Zang, director of national scholarships, or Mariam Dekanozishvili, Ph.D., associate professor of political science.