This year one graduate and two undergraduate UI students with a strong interest in pursuing government service careers received Boren Awards. These awards, which provide $20,000-$30,000 for long-term language-focused study abroad, are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP) to countries of critical importance to U.S. interests. The students will travel to Jordan, Tanzania, and Cambodia to undertake intensive language study combined with research, coursework, and internships. The Boren Awards provide an important first step to students in their pursuit of distinguished careers in a variety of fields including public health, diplomacy, business, and engineering.
Meet this year's recipients:
Anger Dok
Anger, who will receive a BA in global health studies from the University of Iowa this May, earned a 2019 David L. Boren scholarship. Born in South Sudan and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Anger will spend next year studying Swahili in Tanzania.
"I will be learning a new language, completely immersing myself in African culture, and working with a nonprofit organization that focuses on food security in Tanzania. Boren is setting the blueprints for the career I would love to have."
Eli Bratsch-Prince
Eli Bratsch-Prince, who will receive a BA in political science from the University of Iowa this May, earned a 2019 David L. Boren Scholarship. A native of Ames, Iowa, Bratsch-Prince will spend next year studying Arabic in Jordan.
"What excited me most about spending a year in Jordan is living with a Jordanian host family. When I spent last summer in Jordan on the Critical Language Studies Program, I lived with a host family and learned a lot about Jordanian daily life and dialectal differences. These are things you cannot learn in a classroom."
Yanni Liang
Yanni Liang, a PhD candidate in occupational and environmental health at the University of Iowa, earned a 2019 David L. Boren Fellowship, and will spend next year studying Khmer in Cambodia.
"A Boren experience will train me to build partnerships across cultures and develop my global health research skills. Acquiring these skills will expand my career options in working with subsistence farmers globally in protecting their safety and health."