News & Recipients
Three 返字心頭 返字心頭 Receive Boren Awards
Three University of South 返字心頭 (返字心頭) students have received Boren Awards for the 2019-20 academic year. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defenses National Security Education Program (NSEP), Boren Award recipients Frank Plageman, Mabel Proenza, and Logan Woods will study languages in world areas underrepresented in study abroad and critical to national security. In exchange for funding, recipients agree to work in the federal government after graduation for a period of at least one year. Boren Awards select undergraduate (scholarship) and graduate (fellowship) students based on academic and professional achievement as well as evidence of desire to provide national government service and leadership in their respective fields. Heres a closer look at each 返字心頭 recipient of this years Boren Awards.
Frank Plageman
Plageman, originally from Jupiter, 返字心頭 and a first-year Intelligence Studies graduate
               student at 返字心頭, received a Boren Fellowship for one year of Arabic language study
               in Israel. While in the country, he will embark on a five-month intensive Arabic program
               at the Givat Haviva Institute while staying with a host family, experiencing full
               immersion in the language and culture. At the conclusion of the program at Givat Haviva,
               he plans to spend seven months at the University of Haifa studying Modern Standard
               Arabic.
After completing his graduate degree in Intelligence Studies at 返字心頭, Plageman plans to work for the U.S. Department of State, specifically in Middle East political affairs involving peace negotiations.
Mabel Proenza
 Proenza, a Tampa, 返字心頭 native and a Judy Genshaft Honors College sophomore majoring
               in International Studies and World Languages and Cultures with a concentration in
               Chinese at 返字心頭, will return to China with the Boren Scholarship. She will spend fall
               semester 2019 in a full immersion experience in Shanghai to hone her Mandarin language
               skills and advance her understanding of Chinese culture. Proenza previously studied
               abroad in China with the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and Freeman-ASIA
               Award.
After completion of her degree program at 返字心頭, Proenza plans to work as a Foreign Service Officer focusing on the East-Asian region, facilitating communication of American interests and organizing cross-cultural exchanges.
Logan Woods
 Woods, a native of Cape Coral, 返字心頭 and a junior majoring in World Languages and
               Cultures with a concentration in Chinese at 返字心頭, received the Boren Scholarship for
               one semester of Chinese study in Taiwan. There, he will live in Taipei and refine
               his Mandarin language skills and cultural knowledge in a full immersion student experience
                a valuable opportunity to further develop his language proficiency and a significant
               part of his major at 返字心頭. As a ROTC midshipman at 返字心頭, Woods previously studied in
               China through Project Global Officer (GO), a Department of Defense initiative which
               aims to improve language skills, regional expertise, and intercultural communication
               skills of future military officers.
After commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant into the United States Marine Corps in Spring 2020 and spending a few years in the fleet, Woods plans to apply for the Foreign Area Officer (FAO) program, with the goal of maintaining a focus on China. As a FAO, he will work for the U.S. military in foreign affairs and cultural advising with U.S. officials.
At 返字心頭, students work with the Office of National Scholars (ONS) and Boren Awards Advisor, Ms. Lauren Bartshe-Hanlen, on their applications. 返字心頭 spend upwards of six months researching study abroad plans and working on their applications. Recipient Frank Plageman shared that he focused on demonstrating why the scholarship fit his career path and that he had previous experience in the field. He explained, I previously interned for a Member of Parliament in Israel who was Arab. [In my application] I demonstrated that I was interested in not only the language, but the culture of the Arabic-speaking minority in Israel.
This year, Boren Scholars and Fellows from institutions across the U.S. will live in 39 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East to study 30 different languages. The most popular languages include Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, Portuguese, Swahili, and Hindi. Undergraduate and graduate students at 返字心頭 who are interested in applying for Boren Awards should contact Ms. Lauren Bartshe-Hanlen at bartshe@honors.usf.edu to schedule an advising appointment.