The French and politics double major is one of three foreign language students nationwide to be awarded the highly-competitive scholarship.
Learning a language changes the way in which one looks at the world, and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to continue to study French at Fairfield.
— — Maureen Perry '19
¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures is proud to announce that junior Maureen Perry ’19 has been selected as one of only three undergraduate students nationwide to receive a highly-competitive Goddard, Indovina and Krakowski Scholarship from the Alpha Mu Gamma National Collegiate Foreign Language Honor Society.
Perry, a Magis Scholar and French and politics double major, received the $1,000 award in recognition of her outstanding academic achievement in the field of foreign language study, and will apply the scholarship toward her continued study of French during the upcoming summer or fall/spring semesters.
“Maureen is one of the brightest students I have ever had in my upper division French classes,” said Zoe Erotopoulos, PhD, professor of the practice of modern languages and literatures. “She is very interested in utilizing her strong analytical skills in order to examine the implications and impact of foreign language in social situations. She also has strong research and writing skills, as evidenced by the excellent term paper she wrote for my ‘Survey of French Literature’ course, which was one of the best in the class.”
Alpha Mu Gamma National, which awards foreign language scholarship opportunities on a competitive basis, has over 370 chapters across the United States and received a record number of applications during the 2018 cycle. Perry, who recently returned to Fairfield after spending her fall semester at the International American University in Aix-en-Provence, France, was one of three students nationwide to rise to the top of the list.
“Since declaring my French major, I’ve found that not only have my French skills improved, but I’ve also learned so many transferable skills that apply in other classes and in interpersonal interactions,” Perry said. “Learning a language changes the way in which one looks at the world, and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to continue to study French at Fairfield.”
¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp boasts the largest Alpha Mu Gamma chapter in the United States, with over 250 members. Since 2008, Fairfield’s Eta Pi chapter also holds the record for being awarded more Alpha Mu Gamma national scholarships than any other university. In addition to hosting two successful Alpha Mu Gamma National Conventions in 2001 and 2009, Fairfield’s chapter continues to encourage an intense interest in the study of foreign languages, while fostering a sympathetic understanding of cultures through service learning projects that involve interacting with Bridgeport’s inner-city youth, as well as the University’s own unique population of international students.
