Two Howard University Students Named 2017-18 Boren Award Winners
Howard student recipients will spend academic year abroad
Washington, DC, May 4, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Two Howard University students, Corey Holmes and Grace Olubowale, have been selected for the prestigious Boren Award and will study abroad for the 2017-18 academic year. The Boren Awards are administered by the Institute of International Education on behalf of The National Security Education Program (NSEP).
David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are a major federal initiative designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills. Boren Awards provide U.S. undergraduate and graduate students with resources and encouragement to acquire language skills and experiences in countries critical to the future security and stability of our nation.
“On behalf of Howard University, congratulations to our remarkable Boren scholars,” said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, president of Howard University. “To play a leadership role in the world, it is vital that America's future leaders have a deep understanding of the rest of the world.”
Corey Holmes has been awarded a Boren Fellowship to study in South Africa during the 2017-18 academic year. Corey is currently a graduate student in the Department of African Studies & Research. He will study at the University of Witwatersrand and the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute in Johannesburg. “I am truly humbled to receive the Boren Fellowship,” said Holmes. “I look forward to engaging with the South African culture, and becoming proficient in isiZulu, one of South Africa's 11 official languages.”
Grace Olubowale has been awarded a Boren Scholarship to study in India during the 2017-18 academic year. Grace is currently a Political Science major, English minor at Howard University. She will study Hindi at the American Institute of Indian Studies in Jaipur. "I am excited to be a Boren Scholar in India. This scholarship is giving me the opportunity to return and learn a language that I have come to love."
In exchange for funding, Boren award recipients agree to work in the federal government for at least one year. “The National Security Education Program,” according to Dr. Michael A. Nugent, NSEP Director, “is helping change the U.S. higher education system and the way Americans approach the study of foreign languages and cultures.
This year, the Institute of International Education received 791 applications from undergraduate students for the Boren Scholarship, and 194 were awarded; 340 graduate students applied for the Boren Fellowship and 114 were awarded. Boren Scholars will live in 44 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. They will study 36 different languages. The most popular languages include Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Swahili, and Korean.
Since 1994, over 6,000 students have received Boren Awards. Boren Scholars and Fellows represent a vital pool of highly motivated individuals who wish to work in the federal national security arena, and program alumni are contributing to the critical missions of agencies throughout the federal government.
ABOUT HOWARD
Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Over the last 20 years, the University has produced four Rhodes Scholars, 10 Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, over 80 Fulbright recipients, 22 Pickering Fellows and one Schwarzman Scholar. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University’s website at www.howard.edu
Anthony D. Owens
Assistant Director, Media Relations
Howard University
anthony.owens@howard.edu
202-870-9208
Source: Howard University