Two UO students have been selected to receive the prestigious David L. Boren Scholarship to study abroad during the 2016-17 academic year.
Ava Jamerson and Elizabeth Baer will each receive $20,000 in funding towards their year abroad. Jamerson will be participating in the Chinese Flagship Capstone program in Nanjing, China and Baer will be attending Japan Women’s University in Tokyo, Japan on an exchange program.
"I am so thrilled about every aspect of this opportunity abroad," stated Jamerson. "I hope to make new friends, take interesting classes, and have the full experience of living and working [as an intern] in China as a college student."
"During my study abroad I plan to research more about current relations between Japan and the Korea’s," Baer expressed. Through this experience she hopes to further strengthen US friendships within East Asia.
Boren Awards provide U.S. undergraduate and graduate students with resources and encouragement to acquire language skills and experience in countries critical to the future security and stability of our nation. In exchange for funding, Boren Award recipients agree to work in the federal government for a period of at least one year.
The Institute of International Education (IIE), on behalf of the National Security Education Program (NSEP), awarded 165 David L. Boren Scholarships to undergraduate students and 105 David L. Boren Fellowships to graduate students. This year, there were 820 undergraduate applications and 350 graduate fellowship applications.
“The continued achievements of Boren Award recipients are a validation of our efforts to champion the internationalization of the University of Oregon,” said Kathy Poole, Global Education Oregon Executive Director. “Our office remains committed to advancing the UO as a leader in global education and ensuring student access to enriching study abroad experiences. We are honored to have two outstanding students represent our university abroad this year as Boren Award recipients."
Two out of eight UO applicants received the Boren Scholarship this year, putting UO's award rate more than 5 percent higher than Boren's national average acceptance rate.
Boren Awards
Boren Scholarships and Fellowships provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad, including 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Global Education Oregon (GEO)
Global Education Oregon is a premier study abroad program provider serving the UO community in addition to more than 30 partner institutions. GEO offers more than 250 programs in 90 countries.
By Lindsay Kelchner, Multimedia Producer
Office of International Affairs