[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 149 (Tuesday, November 27, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1806]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING ASHLEY JOHNSON FOR STUDIES IN THE CRITICAL LANGUAGE 
                          SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 27, 2012

  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate 
Ashley Johnson, a constituent of mine from Coppell, Texas, on studying 
the Mandarin Chinese language in Beijing, China, under the Critical 
Language Scholarship Program.
  The Critical Language Scholarship program was established in 2006 as 
part of the National Security Language Initiative. This interagency 
effort was formed with recognition of the need for our future 
diplomatic and intelligence personnel to learn languages such as 
Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, and Chinese. It provides an intensive regimen of 
study at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels for both 
undergraduate and graduate students. The program goes beyond just 
language and provides cultural experiences by immersion in the host 
country.
  I was proud when the U.S. State Department informed me that one of my 
constituents, Ashley Johnson, had successfully participated in the 
Critical Language Scholarship Program this past summer. Acceptance is 
highly competitive, and so I commend her studying Intermediate Chinese 
in Beijing. Johnson's success is a testament to dedication, skill, and 
hard work; and I look forward to her accomplishing great things in any 
endeavor that she pursues in life.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I 
ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in congratulating Ashley 
Johnson for her studies in the Critical Language Scholarship Program.

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