Ohio University senior Mica Smith poses for a photo while visiting Morocco this past summer for an intensive summer language study.
By Catherine Hofacker
From Compass
While many college students worked summer jobs or interned in their field of study, Ohio University senior Mica Smith was in Morocco.
Don’t think she had it easy, however. Smith was a spring 2016 recipient of the Critical Languages Scholarship, which offers awardees an eight-week “intensive summer language study.”
Smith is double majoring in Political Science and Spanish, but decided on Arabic for her summer study. While OHIO has no official certification for Arabic, Smith has been studying the language for three years. As for Morocco, she commented on the diversity and richness of the city’s coexisting cultures.
‘Three Cultures Living Peacefully in One City’
“The cool thing about Morocco is it’s really a city of three cultures,” she said. “You have a lot of diversity and this interesting example of three cultures living peacefully in one city.”
The Critical Languages program requires participants to take classes in their language of study for 20 hours a week, or four hours a day. According to Smith, she studied standard Arabic for three of those four hours. The remaining hour was devoted to the local dialect of Meknes, a city in north central Morocco, where she was placed.
When not studying, Smith enjoyed cultural excursions, which were made easy by Meknes’ central location.
“The ease of the travel was unbelievable, so we traveled every chance we got,” she said.
Smith also enjoyed staying with her host family, whom she said welcomed her as one of their own.
“They were wonderful. They always referred to me as their daughter, and insisted that my mom and my grandma and I come back to visit,” she said fondly.
Mica Smith takes a selfie while riding a camel in the Sahara Desert.
A Shared Experience, Networking with Alumni
Now in her final year at OHIO, Smith’s experiences in both the Critical Languages program and as a Templeton Scholar have placed her with unique networking opportunities, both in and outside the university.
“You share a special experience with other Critical Languages alums, as well as opportunities to stay involved and network,” Smith said. “At OHIO, the Templeton Scholars (Program) has really opened up doors for me as far as financial, academic and social support.”
Smith also found employment through the program, working as a research assistant at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. Associate Professor Holly Raffle said she’s had the “privilege of working with (Mica) for four years,” and as such has been in a position to watch her grow not only as a professional, but also as a person.
“I can certainly attest to the personal growth I have seen in Mica over the past three years with regards to her understanding of how powerful her scholarship area is,” Raffle said. “As a first-year student, Mica would simply state: ‘I want to learn Arabic so I can be an interpreter.’ Now, when Mica talks about her career goals, she can more fully articulate why she wants to learn Arabic.”
Marlene de La Cruz-Guzman, director of the Office of Multicultural Student Access and Retention, and Smith’s adviser for the Templeton Scholars Program, said she observed similar growth in Smith.
“Since she came back from the trip, I’ve noticed her talking with her classmates about Arabic, sprinkling it everywhere in her normal speech,” de La Cruz-Guzman said. “It’s wonderful to see her put her knowledge to use and having a positive impact on the community around her.”
Mica Smith is seen in Morocco this past summer. She traveled to the country after receiving a Critical Languages Scholarship.
Headed to Graduate School
Smith is already making plans to expand her impact. Upon her graduation in the spring, she plans to attend graduate school, where she will study some variation of international public policy. She intends to submit applications to the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Georgetown University and the University of Oxford, among others.
“For now, I want to make the best of my senior year,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed all my classes, and now my primary goal is getting into grad school.”
Though many would consider “riding camels out in the Sahara Desert to spend the night in a Bedouin camp” the highlight of the college experience, Smith said the relationships she’s formed are much more precious.
“It’s the relationships I’ve formed that have been the most valuable to me,” she said.
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