Baruch College Student Awarded a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship

June 14, 2022

Faraz Hameed (’22) is closer to his goal of becoming fluent in Japanese, with the recent awarding of a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship for summer 2022.

“I was overjoyed that I won this award and it presented me with another opportunity to learn Japanese,” says Hameed, who has been studying this language for more than three years. “I hope to take full advantage of it and study abroad in Japan.”

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the FLAS program offers funding to undergraduate and graduate students undergoing beginning, intermediate, or advanced training in modern foreign languages with concentrations in related international or area studies. The intensive program also prepares students for careers in government agencies, public and private sectors, and academia, which will support Hameed’s professional ambitions as he looks to the future.

“My career goal remains the same; that is to advocate for AAPI issues through non-profit organizations and help communities such as those facing language barriers, limited resources, and education on health issues.”

Hameed was part of the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies (CUNY BA) program and took classes at Baruch’s Weissman School of Arts and Sciences with a double major in Asian and American studies and Japanese language and culture.

He has earned multiple scholarships while attending Baruch, including a Fund for Education Abroad Scholarship this summer, a Gilman Award, and a Freeman-ASIA Scholarship where he most recently studied abroad in Korea.

Hameed will be participating in Japanese language study through Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute.

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