CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduate student Di Lan Johnson was one of 215 students nationally to receive the Boren Award to study abroad in Taiwan during the 2024-25 academic year.
David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are funded by the National Security Education Program, a federal initiative designed to increase U.S. expertise in languages and cultures in world regions critical to U.S. interests. The awards provide U.S. graduate and undergraduate students with an opportunity for intensive language study and cultural immersion.
Di Lan Johnson of Bartlett, Ill., is a junior in global studies and a 2023 National Security Language Initiative Korean Scholar. Johnson will spend two semesters studying Mandarin at National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. She also plans to supplement those courses with Chinese literature and international politics classes with an eye toward pursuing a career in international relations, particularly within the U.S. State Department.
As a Chinese adoptee, Johnson initially nurtured her passion for mastering her native language through self-study of Chinese entertainment and language exchange websites. Her interest in learning Mandarin eventually evolved into a broader curiosity about the culture and politics surrounding the language.
Outside of class, Johnson launched a chapter of the national organization Voters of Tomorrow at the U. of I. and produces innovative campus events relating to Chinese culture for the Chinese Language and International Development Society student organization. She hopes to join clubs and student activities during her study abroad and is planning to volunteer for Taiwanese human rights organizations.
NSEP is a federal initiative designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills. The 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 the nation. In exchange for funding, Boren Award recipients agree to work in the federal government for at least one year.
Editor’s note:
For more information about Boren Scholarships for undergraduate students, contact David Schug, the director of the National and International Scholarships Program, at topscholars@illinois.edu.
