Two Colorado State University undergraduates have received the 2016-2017 William J. & Jean S. Griswold Scholarship, awarded annually to outstanding students who demonstrate a passion for history, foreign languages and a commitment to CSU’s international community. Chloe Craft, a junior foreign languages & literatures major, and Hannah Purtymun, a junior international studies and economics major, both have a desire to find careers within the international realm and have made an impact on campus during their time at CSU.

Craft has been fascinated by language and culture since she was a child, inspired by her father and grandmother and their stories from abroad. Throughout her time at CSU, she has taken French immersion courses and has started delving into other languages. She is currently secretary of Le Cercle Français, CSU’s French club, and will be running for president for the upcoming academic year.

“My involvement in international activities provides me with a more holistic, rewarding experience within the international community at the University,” Craft said.

She has also represented Francophone culture at the World Unity Fair international festival for the past two years. After graduation, Craft hopes to pursue a career with the United States government as an international translator and interpreter.

Purtymun is an avid activist for human rights and hopes to work for the United Nations one day. She is a double major in international studies and economics, with a minor in French. Her international studies classes inspired her to learn a new language and study abroad on the Shakespeare in Oxford summer program in England. Purtymun also works as a student ambassador at INTO Colorado State University, where she assists international students with their transition to the University. Through her participation in the President’s Leadership Program, she also helped plan 2016’s annual ACT Human Rights Film Festival.

“By studying international studies I have learned how globalization has connected every part of the world, most often for the better,” she said.

While she still has a dream of working for the United Nations, Purtymun has also been inspired by some of her professors at CSU to go into teaching.

William J. & Jean S. Griswold Scholarship

William and Jean Griswold have dedicated their lives to education and the international community at Colorado State University and around the world. Both started as teachers and spent six years abroad teaching, traveling and studying. Bill taught history classes at CSU for 35 years while Jean worked as the director of international services in the Office of International Programs. They have sailed with Semester at Sea five times, visiting and teaching students around the world.

 Two $1,000 Griswold scholarships are awarded to students each spring, based on their contribution to the greater Colorado State University international community and the academic field of history. All students with more than one year of study at Colorado State University, including both American and international sophomores, juniors and graduate students, are eligible to apply. Scholarship recipients are required to reflect an interest in foreign languages and history as well as have had personal involvement in upholding the values of cultural understanding.