Archives
Four U. of I. students awarded study-abroad scholarships
Melissa
Mitchell, News Editor
217-333-5491; melissa@uiuc.edu
5/10/2006
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. —
Four students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have
earned National Security Education Program (NSEP) Boren Undergraduate
Scholarships for study abroad during the 2006-07 academic year.
“Over the past five years, Illinois has been among the national
leaders in numbers of recipients for Boren Undergraduate Scholarships,
and this year will match the most students we have ever sent abroad
under this grant,” said David Schug, program director of the campus’s Scholarships for International
Study Office. “This is a testament to the strong study abroad
programs and international emphasis at Illinois.”
The scholarship recipients are Kyle Arnold, Batavia, Ill.; Sara Hislop,
Montgomery, Ill.; Rachel Sauer, Centralia, Ill.; and Alyssa Walsh, Fairbanks,
Alaska.
The merit-based scholarships are awarded to U.S. citizen undergraduates
for study in Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America
or the Middle East. The Illinois students are among 141 recipients from
a national applicant pool of 720. Each scholarship winner will receive
between $6,000 and $20,000 to support his or her studies, depending
on the cost of the selected study-abroad program. In total, the four
University of Illinois recipients earned more than $72,000 in funding.
Scholarship recipients enter into a service agreement that generally
requires them to seek employment in a paid position with the federal
government in the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security,
Department of Defense, or the Intelligence Community within three years
of graduating from Illinois. They also receive priority-hiring status
from these agencies.
Arnold, a senior pursuing dual degrees in engineering physics and mathematics,
will spend the year at Konan University through the year-in Japan program
offered by the U. of I. department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.
He has taken three Japanese courses at Illinois, in addition to his
major classes. Arnold hopes to eventually earn a doctorate and conduct
physics research in quantum information and quantum computing, which
are applicable to cryptography.
Hislop, a junior majoring in international studies, plans to continue
course work for her minor in anthropology and her study of Arabic while
spending a year at the American University in Cairo. She previously
spent her junior year of high school studying in Portugal. After her
year of immersion in Egypt, Hislop plans a career as a foreign-service
officer in focusing on the U.S. relationship with Middle Eastern countries.
Sauer, a senior majoring in political science and international studies,
will spend a year in Senegal studying issues related to development.
Sauer, who is also fluent in Spanish and spends her summers teaching
Spanish language and culture at Concordia Language Village, plans to
attend law school upon her return to the U.S. before undertaking a career
as a foreign affairs officer or human rights lawyer.
Walsh, a sophomore majoring in international studies, will study for
a year at the American University in Cairo. She has a longstanding interest
in international relations and desire to work for the federal government
as a foreign-service officer or language analyst. In Egypt, Walsh plans
to pursue intensive Arabic study while also undertaking coursework relating
to Middle Eastern politics, history, religion, and anthropology in preparation
for her career in the intelligence community.
More information on the NSEP Boren undergraduate scholarship program
is available by contacting Schug.
