Do your goals include:
- Having a career that utilizes your specialized training and native language skills?
- Contributing your knowledge and skills to the federal government?
- Being able to express yourself in English with confidence and ease in professional contexts?
The English for Heritage Language Speakers (EHLS) Program offers a unique opportunity to US citizens who are native speakers of critical languages. Participants receive free tuition and a living stipend while attending an 8-month course hosted at Georgetown University. As scholars, they undergo intensive training in professional communication and career skills essential for working in the government.
Upon graduation, EHLS participants seek work in federal agencies as part of their scholarship obligation. By then they are able to offer potential employers not only native-speaker proficiency in their heritage language but also confidence and ease with interacting in a government workplace.
EHLS program graduates since 2006 have been naturalized US citizens originally from countries such as Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Taiwan, and Tanzania. Their prior professional training has often been in such fields as teaching, architecture, business management, real estate, law, medicine, engineering, computer technology, foreign service, news-media relations, and translation.
What our graduates say
“My desire to make a difference inspired my interest in public service. The Georgetown EHLS program has nourished that and provided an invaluable and unforgettable personal and professional experience.” – 2010 EHLS Scholar
“The curriculum provides a holistic approach conducive to honing every participant’s linguistic aptitude while gaining guided insight and assistance to enter the federal job market. The EHLS experience is not only enriching owing to the multicultural classroom environment but also empowering as scholars learn first-hand from instructors with expert-knowledge in their respective fields.” – 2010 EHLS Scholar