Paris Lecleir ’24 Receives Critical Language Scholarship to Study Swahili

Paris Lecleir ’24 has received a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Swahili in Tanzania during the summer of 2022.

Lecleir is the first Manhattan College student to ever receive a Critical Language Scholarship.

Born in the United States, Lecleir relocated to China with her parents when she was six years old. In 2021, she returned to the United States to attend Manhattan College, where she majors in global business and economics with a minor in international studies.

Prior to coming to Manhattan College, she took a gap year, during which she volunteered in Tanzania as an English teacher, where Lecleir says she “fell in love with Tanzanian culture.”

Lecleir’s CLS program is to attend a local college to learn Swahili, the main language spoken in Tanzania. She is fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese and aspires to pursue a career in U.S.-African relations in the future.