SSW Doctoral Student Courtney Queen Receives Prestigious Boren Award

SSW doctoral student Courtney Queen has been awarded a Boren Fellowship to study in Kenya during the 2014-15 academic year. The focus of Queen’s research will be the physical and mental health outcomes of Female Genitalia Cutting/Mutilation (FGC/M)both in the U.S. and in Kenya. Her goal is to use the results of the research to influence ways to understand the outcomes of the practice in both countries. Queen has been studying Swahili for over a year and will continue to study the language during her time in Kenya. David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are sponsored by the National Security Education Program(NSEP), 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 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 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, which administers the awards on behalf of NSEP, received 868 applications from undergraduate students for the Boren Scholarship and 165 were awarded;497 graduate students applied for the Boren Fellowship and 106 were awarded. Boren Scholars and Fellows will live in 43 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. They will study 40 different languages. The most popular languages include Arabic, Mandarin, Swahili, and Portuguese. “To continue 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,” says University of Oklahoma President David Boren, who as a U.S. Senator was the principal author of the legislation that created the National Security Education Program and the scholarships and fellowships that bear his name. “As we seek to lead through partnerships, understanding of other cultures and languages is absolutely essential.”Since 1994, over 5,200 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. An independent not-for-profit founded in 1919, IIE is among the world's largest and most experienced international education and exchange organizations.