Political science major Thayer Grimes, CCNY's 2026 Critical Language Scholar to Taiwan.
New Taipei City, Taiwan, is Thayer J. Grimes’s destination this summer. The City College of New York sophomore is the recipient of a Critical Language Scholarship, a competitive national award administered by the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
A political science major in the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, Grimes will study intermediate Chinese at Tamkang University during his eight-week stint in Taiwan between June and August.
The upstate Utica native is a fellow in the Colin Powell Fellowship for Leadership and Public Service, that he describes as a “truly transformational program.” He’s also a CCNY Honors student and active in the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), the youth and student section of the Democratic Socialists of America, and a national organization of recognized campus chapters and several hundred activists.
“After graduation, I'm hoping to continue with community organizing, possibly working on electoral campaigns, like how we're currently doing with the YDSA on campus,” said Grimes, a member of CCNY’s Class of 2028.
About The Critical Language Scholarship Program
The CLS Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains.
CLS is part of a wider government initiative to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to national security and economic prosperity. CLS plays an important role in preparing students for the 21st century's globalized workforce and increasing national competitiveness.
CSL is a program of the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is supported in its implementation by American Councils for International Education.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 2.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.7 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers, and society. At City College, more than 16,500 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity, and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together,” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College's mission. By May 2026, more than $500 million had been raised. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic, and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba
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jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu