By Louise Schultze, Marketing and Outreach Specialist
A common characteristic of Stanford OHS students is a love of learning, which stays with them after they graduate and embark on careers. It’s this passion for learning that inspired Stanford OHS class of 2015 alum, Second Lieutenant Chloe Clougher to pursue a challenging career in the U.S. Air Force as an intelligence officer learning to respond to potential military crises.
Growing up in Massachusetts, Chloe found her Catholic high school didn’t offer enough advanced classes in biology, math, or languages, so she sought out higher level classes to take online, leading her to Stanford OHS. After joining the school full-time for her junior and senior year, Chloe grew to deeply appreciate the challenging courses Stanford OHS offers. Chloe especially loved her immersive Chinese and biology courses, and her critical reading and Core classes, where she would start each morning singing a song on Adobe Connect with her classmates.
“I really liked the fast-paced learning,” Chloe said. “Even though the classes were remote, the level of discussion and experiences at Stanford OHS were so rich. People at Stanford OHS can do it all, they are amazing at math and science, but can also do art beautifully! I was so inspired by my international friends who encouraged me to travel and learn about other places.”
After graduating from Stanford OHS, Chloe attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worchester, Mass. (notably, Dr. Anthony Fauci’s alma mater) where she double majored in Biology and Chinese, and minored in Middle Eastern studies with an Arabic concentration. In 2019, Chloe was selected to be a Yenching Scholar and earn a Master’s Degree from Peking University in Beijing, China. The Yenching Scholar program is designed to cultivate leaders who will advocate for global progress and cultural understanding. Studying politics and international relations in Beijing, Chloe learned China’s government processes, which have been especially useful now for better understanding China’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last October, Chloe was one of only 550 competitively selected American students representing colleges and universities across the U.S. to receive a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) award from the U.S. Department of State to study Arabic in Amman, Jordan. The CLS Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. CLS scholars gain critical language and cultural skills in languages that are less commonly taught in U.S. schools, but are essential for America’s engagement with the world, contributing to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security. CLS scholars serve as citizen ambassadors, representing the diversity of the United States abroad and building lasting relationships with people in their host countries.
“My goal with studying languages was firstly to learn about cultures I had never previously been exposed to, because I think language is the best path to cultural awareness in preliminary stages,” said Chloe. “For Chinese especially, it was about the challenge. For Arabic, I think it’s a particularly beautiful language, and I found it so sweet and poetic. There’s such a lack of knowledge in the U.S. about the Middle East, and it was incredible to go to Jordan and get connected with people there. Lastly, for practical purposes, those languages are very critical to U.S. strategy and the world in general. I also learned Latin for five years, and I’m currently starting to teach myself French. There are many other languages I would love to tackle, including Russian and Spanish too! I hope to apply them one day in international dealings as either a foreign service officer, diplomat/ambassador, or holding office.”
Though the pandemic halted Chloe’s international travels, it did not stop her studies. She is now living at the U.S. Air Force base in San Angelo, Texas where she is writing her thesis on China’s involvement in the Middle East.
“Stanford OHS started my career trajectory,” Chloe said. “My main motivation for the path I’m on is to give back to the world. In terms of how languages all fit in, I think there’s nothing more important for both a military member and ambassador alike than being globally minded. By studying biology, I can understand climate and healthcare; by studying languages, I can understand cultural appreciation; by studying Chinese Politics and International Relations and Middle East studies, I can better understand the world and our relation to it.”