Aid and Awards

Direct any questions via email to Jesús Ruiz, FLAS coordinator for CLACX.

FLAS Academic Year Fellowships

The Department of Education has designated CLACX as one of its Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Programs. FLAS funding supports the academic year study of Portuguese, K’iche’ Mayan, or Haitian Creole at Vanderbilt. The FLAS program is intended to create a pool of advanced language learners with relevant area studies knowledge. FLAS fellowships are for one year only, although recipients can reapply for the next year’s competition.

A student is eligible to apply for a FLAS fellowship if the student:

Is a citizen of or national of the United States; or
Is a permanent resident of the United States;
Is accepted for enrollment or is enrolled in an institution receiving an allocation of fellowships; and
Is in a program that combines modern foreign language training with area or international studies; or
Shows potential for high academic achievement based on such indices as grade point average, class ranking, or similar measures that the institution may determine;
Is enrolled in a program of modern foreign language training in a language for which the institution has developed or is developing performance-based instruction

To apply: https://redcap.link/FLASAY2025_26

The deadline for submission is February 1, 2025, and the winners will be announced in early March.

Student Summer Awards

CLACX administers summer awards available to both graduate and undergraduate students pursuing research projects in Latin America.

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS SUMMER AWARDS)

CLACX at Vanderbilt University receives funding from the Department of Education to support Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Awards for Intensive Studies of Portuguese or indigenous Latin American languages. Fellowships provide tuition expenses for the study of Portuguese, Kˈicheˈ Mayan, or another indigenous language.

Any graduate or undergraduate student with Luso-Brazilian, Haitian, or indigenous language-related interests and who is a U.S. citizen/permanent resident is eligible to apply. Undergraduate applicants must have already attained intermediate-level proficiency in the target language. Graduate students, if at the beginner level, must be advanced speakers of another Latin American language to qualify.

To apply: https://redcap.link/SummerFLAS2025

The deadline for submission is February 1, 2025, and the winners will be announced in early March.

For a list of FLAS Eligible programs, see the Consortium for Latin American Studies Program (CLASP) page here.

Simon Collier Travel Award

The Simon Collier Travel Award in Latin American Studies provides grants for research related travel to undergraduate and graduate students studying Latin America. Competition is open to students proposing research in any Latin American country, although preference will be given to projects carried out in Argentina or Chile. Awards are intended to cover basic travel and subsistence expenses and may range from $500 to $2,500. The award honors the legacy of Professor Collier and his distinguished teaching and research career at Vanderbilt. The award is endowed through a gift from Professor Collier’s sister, Mrs. Susan Cross.

Applications for the Simon Collier Travel Award for Summer 2025 will be available in December.

Please submit the Simon Collier Application via .pdf to clacx@vanderbilt.edu.

Norma Antillón Award

CLACX invites nominations for the Norma Antillón Award. The award will be given to a major or minor in Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies (LAS or LATS) who exemplifies the traits we most admire in Norma – her character, concern for others and collegiality. CLACX will review nominations and select the most deserving award recipient, who will receive $1000 and have their name engraved on a plaque that hangs in the center.

Nomination process: Nominees must be undergraduate students; both self-nominations and nominations from fellow students, faculty, or staff are welcomed. Nominations are limited to 250 words and should provide examples that demonstrate how the nominee engages with CLACX and how they embody a collegial and community-centered spirit. The deadline for submission is to be announced.