W&L Named a Top-Performing Institution for Boren Scholarships Washington and Lee is the only liberal arts college to be named among the top five institutions for producing Boren Scholarship recipients.
Washington and Lee University is proud to be included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2023 David L. Boren Scholarship recipients.
This year, the Institute of International Education (IIE), on behalf of the National Security Education Program (NSEP), awarded 210 Boren Scholarships to undergraduate students and 108 Boren Fellowships to graduate students to support intensive language study in 43 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. With all five applicants receiving the award this year, this is the first time W&L has been named a top-performing institution for Boren Scholarships.
“I admire our Boren applicants’ commitment to intensive language study abroad, and I commend them for boldly seeking out learning opportunities that will enhance their ability to meet our university’s mission of preparing our students for ‘engaged citizenship in a global and diverse society,” said Matthew Loar, W&L’s director of fellowships. “This year’s Boren recipients will be shining stars in the federal workforce in the years to come, and I am grateful for programs like the Boren Scholarship for creating these pipelines into federal service.”
This year’s W&L recipients include:
• Sandor Franch ’25 to study Swahili in Tanzania
• Xavier Raymondson ’25 to study Russian in Armenia
• Tara Trinley ’25 to study Russian in Armenia
• Tyler Bernard ’23 to study Portuguese in Brazil
• Ellie Penner ’23 to study Hindi in India
An initiative of the NSEP, the Boren Scholarship supports American students’ study of critical languages that are deemed important to U.S. interests, allowing students to study in and learn the language and culture of a country with the goal of applying this experience to their professional careers. NSEP is designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills, and in exchange for funding, Boren Award recipients agree to work in the federal government for at least one year.
“The National Security Education Program has transformed how U.S. higher education approaches the study of foreign languages and cultures of the work and provides Americans opportunities to learn, grow and serve,” said Clare Bugary, Director of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office.
Since 1994, over 7,700 students have received Boren Awards and applied their skills to careers that support the critical missions of U.S. federal agencies. Former U.S. Senator David Boren, the principal author of the legislation that created the NSEP and the scholarships and fellowships that bear his name, believes that U.S. global leadership depends on the ability of future leaders to possess and nurture a deep understanding of the rest of the world. “As we seek to lead through partnerships, understanding of other cultures and languages is absolutely essential,” he said.
An independent not-for-profit founded in 1919, IIE is among the world’s largest and most experienced international education and exchange organizations. For more information about the Boren Awards Program, visit borenawards.org. W&L students interested in applying for the Boren Scholarship should contact Matthew Loar, W&L’s Director of Fellowships and Student Research.
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