To build on her education as an anthropology major with minors in Global Terrorism and International Development and Conflict Management, Teoman's Boren Scholarship allows her to study Turkish and prepare for a career in diplomacy, national security or intelligence.
The Boren Scholarship provides funding for American undergraduate students from various academic disciplines to study less than commonly taught languages in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East.
"I applied for the scholarship because I went on a winter term study abroad trip to Turkey and realized that if I wanted to be regionally or country-focused in my public service career, spending time in-country would be the most advantageous," Teoman said.
The opportunity to study in Turkey also presented a chance for Teoman to connect with her roots.
"As a Turkish-American I wanted to live and learn the language of the country where my Dad was from. I fell in love with Istanbul when I visited last and it's a once in a lifetime experience to have this opportunity to live in the neighborhood where my grandfather grew up," she said.
Teoman said she was also interested in the scholarship because of the post-graduation component that facilitates careers in public service within the Intelligence Community, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense.
"Ultimately, I want to apply my Turkish language skills to a career of public service at the State Department or in the Intelligence Community as a political analyst," she said.
Upon completing her Boren Scholarship in Turkey, Teoman will earn her Master of Arts in Security Studies from Georgetown University, where she hopes to specialize in ethnic and sub-state conflicts where terrorism is often used as a political tactic.
"I'll certainly miss the University of Maryland," she said.
"I'm a third-generation Terp so I'm a big fan of going to basketball games and tailgating for football games. But I also love spending as much time in D.C. as I can."
To learn more about the Global Terrorism Minor program at START, visit http://www.start.umd.edu/start/education/academic_programs/tsm/.
Teoman with University of Maryland President Wallace Loh during the 2013 Spring Commencement. She was a finalist for the University Medal award.