Anna Hersey has a keen interest in foreign language study and lyric diction. In 2006 she received a grant to study Czech lyric diction with Timothy Cheek, author of Singing in Czech, at the University of Michigan, after which she presented a recital of Czech art songs and arias at Lloyd Ultan Recital Hall. From 2006-2008, she was a Foreign Language and Area Studies Research Fellow at the Institute of Global Studies, funded by the United States Department of Education. The fellowship supported Swedish language study as part of Miss Hersey's ongoing research of Swedish lyric diction and the Swedish art song repertoire. In 2007 she was presented an award by the Department of German, Scandinavian, and Dutch at the University of Minnesota for her outstanding work in the study of the Swedish language. In July 2008 she presented her paper "Swedish Lyric Diction for Singers" at the NATS Conference in Nashville.