We are happy to share that Kristen Urada, a PhD candidate in the Department of Second Language Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, was featured in an article, “Fluent in Purpose: When a fellowship lets passion lead,” published by the UH Foundation in October 2025.
Kristen Urada’s journey from aspiring medical student to PhD candidate in Second Language Studies shows how following your passion can lead to meaningful impact. With support from the Bilinski Educational Foundation fellowship, Kristen was able to focus fully on her dissertation research exploring how adults learn languages in real-world settings. The fellowship’s support not only made her work possible, but also reflects a long legacy of funding that helps graduate scholars thrive and contributes to UH Mānoa’s highly ranked linguistics program.
Read the published article here: https://uhfoundation.org/impact/students/fluent-purpose-when-fellowship-lets-passion-lead
Congratulations, Kristen! We are so proud of your hard work and achievements!