W&L’s Ana Estrada Hamm ’22 Awarded a Boren Scholarship Estrada Hamm recently received a David L. Boren Scholarship from the National Security Education Program to study abroad in Jordan.

By Erica Turman
April 29, 2021

Washington and Lee senior Ana Estrada Hamm ’22 recently received a David L. Boren Scholarship from the National Security Education Program (NSEP) to study abroad in Jordan.  At W&L, Estrada Hamm is double majoring in politics and computer science, with a minor in Middle East and South Asia studies.

The Boren scholarship is a program that supports American students’ study of critical languages that are deemed important to U.S. interests. The scholarship works by giving students money to study in one country and to learn the language and culture of the region so that in the future, they can apply the experience to their professional careers. The Boren scholarship will fund up to $25,000 of a recipient’s study abroad plan.

“I feel so honored to receive the Boren scholarship,” Estrada Hamm said. “The Boren opens doors for me not only to study abroad with the support of the U.S. government, but also to a future career in international development with the U.S. government, which has been a longtime dream of mine. Now it feels like more of a reality. This would not have been possible without the incredible support of my professors and the university.”

On campus, Estrada Hamm has been an intern in the Office of Inclusion and Engagement for three years. She has also been a teaching assistant for the computer science introductory course for two years, and she is a member of Chi Omega. She is also the social media chair for the FeelGood club and a General Technologies Innovation Lab member.

Estrada Hamm is a virtual intern for the Middle East Bureau at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Virtual Student Federal Service, an opportunity she learned about through W&L’s Office of Career and Professional Development.

“Ana has studied Arabic intensively since day one of her undergraduate career. For one hour a day, every day of the week for nearly four semesters, she memorized vocabulary, analyzed sentences, listened to videos, wrote short compositions and, most importantly, spoke Arabic,” said Anthony Edwards, assistant professor of Arabic. “Ana is driven, responsible, polite and a distinguished learner of Arabic. Students, faculty and Arabic speakers will all enjoy meeting her and working with her.”

This summer, Estrada Hamm will also complete an Arabic Critical Language Scholarship online. Pending the lifting of travel restrictions, Estrada Hamm hopes to travel to Jordan in fall 2021, where she will spend at least an entire semester. After completing the program, she plans to apply to other fellowships that will help continue her Arabic studies and support her graduate degree efforts.

If you know a W&L student who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.