URI language student, alum awarded national Critical Language Scholarships – Rhody Today Marin Macro, a URI junior from Providence, Rhode Island, will travel to Tanzania this summer to learn Swahili as part of their Critical Language Scholarship. (Courtesy Marin Macro) KINGSTON, R.I. – April 8, 2026 – A University of Rhode Island junior and a recent URI alum were each awarded prestigious U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships to study new languages overseas in July. Marin Macro, a Providence resident currently majoring in German language and literature, and global language and area studies, will travel to Tanzania to learn Swahili. Sadie Radka, who graduated in 2025 with four bachelor’s degrees—global language and area studies, journalism, English and film media—will head to Japan to learn Japanese. URI alum Sadie Radka ’25, from Bristol, Rhode Island, currently attending law school at Suffolk University, received her Critical Language Scholarship and will head to Japan in June to learn Japanese. (Courtesy Sadie Radka) The Critical Language Scholarship Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. Students typically spend eight to 10 weeks abroad studying one of 15 critical languages. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains. Macro and Radka were among 315 students nationwide out of 4,500 applicants who received Critical Language Scholarships. Macro’s career before attending URI was mixed between the very technical to human oriented. They worked in finance, as a humanitarian professional and a logistics coordinator with a disaster response organization. Macro chose to pursue Swahili for the challenge of learning a critical, in-demand language, they said, plus disaster response and humanitarian professionals able to communicate in Swahili are strongly sought-after—and it is a field Macro wants to re-enter after graduating from URI. “Tanzania sees a lot of refugee camps from nearby conflicts in neighboring countries. Then also there are risks of disasters in the region,” Macro said. “It’s very beneficial for me in the sense that I would be ready to mobilize to regions in East Africa, to countries beyond Tanzania.” The current research and policy space within Tanzania and eastern Africa also aligns with several of Macro’s academic interests, such as artificial intelligence and large language model development. The country recently passed new laws regulating AI’s use in public education, Macro said, but finds the intersection between human rights and how the advancing technology is being developed interesting. “It was really a natural combination for me to want to learn Swahili to get closer to some of these really active areas of legislation,” they said. Legal strategy Radka, from Bristol , enrolled at Suffolk University as a law student after graduating from URI last year. Her interest in traveling to Japan came as a result of her experience growing up in a diverse household as a Korean-American adoptee—considered an anomaly for Japanese people—Radka said. Radka recalled developing a unique perspective on relationships toward family and what it means to be like her family but not look like them. She learned from her parents’ differences to take a step back and understand the complex cultural and linguistic barriers that exist, she said. Having that patience, while also remaining curious and assertive, will one day help Radka in the courtroom, she said. Radka also said learning Japanese will prepare her for a career in international law—learning legal arguments in multiple languages, and their methods. “There are different schools of thought in Japan surrounding arguments, effective communication, and collaboration that are wholly different from the individualistic ones in the U.S.,” she said. “The Japanese prioritize social harmony, listening, and silence. Both have equal value in the courtroom.” Macro and Radka credit the URI Office of Fellowships , particularly office Director Keegan Scott, for aiding and encouraging them to not only apply for the Critical Language Scholarships, but also to broaden their horizons internationally that will one day be beneficial to their careers. Connect Apply Tour Give