As another academic year comes to a close, a round of exciting futures are beginning for START students as they move on to travel different parts of the world, representing University of Maryland through their well-earned scholarships and awards. Three current START students won the Department of Defense’s Boren Scholarships, one took first place in UMD’s Do Good Challenge, one earned the Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarships, and one received a Fulbright Scholarship.
Boren Scholarship Winners
The Boren Scholarship is a government funded award for undergraduate students interested in future government careers who wish to study abroad and immerse themselves in the language and culture of 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. It provides up to $20,000 for those students seeking language based study in underrepresented regions for abroad scholarship. Of the nine recipients, a third of the students have already become passionate about research through their experiences at START. Each is a member of the Arabic Flagship Program at the University of Maryland and will be jetting off to Morocco to further their studies.
The START students to be awarded the Boren Scholarship are:
- Anna Pavlos (award to study Arabic in Morocco)
Anna is a senior in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences double-majoring in Government and Politics and Arabic Studies, and minoring in Global Terrorism Studies, and is a member of Maryland’s Arabic Flagship Program and of the University Honors College. She has had multiple internships at the Department of State and the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). Anna will be studying in Meknes, Morocco, with the Arabic Flagship Overseas Program.
- Catherine Tappert (award to study Arabic in Morocco)
Catherine is a senior in the College of Arts and Humanities double-majoring in Arabic Studies and Government and Politics, and is a member of Maryland’s Arabic Flagship Program and of the University Honors College. She has interned with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), taken part in the Federal Semester program, and worked full-time for over one year with the office of the Cultural Attaché at the Embassy of Iraq. Catherine will be enrolling in the Arabic Flagship Overseas Program in Meknes, Morocco during her Boren year abroad.
- Joseph Sammarco (award to study Arabic in Morocco)
Joseph is a senior in the College of Arts and Humanities double-majoring in Arabic Studies and Persian Studies. He has lived in the Arabic Cluster of Language House, is a member of the Intelligence Center of Academic Excellence program at Maryland, and has interned with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). This year Joseph is participating in the campus-based Capstone Year of Maryland’s Persian Flagship Program, and next year he will enroll in the Arabic Flagship Overseas Program in Meknes, Morocco.
University of Maryland Do Good Challenge award winner
In 2012 the School of Public Policy and Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership set out to create a new way to engage UMD students in philanthropy. Created by students, the Do Good Challenge is an innovative prize competition that inspires Terps to make the greatest social impact they can for their favorite cause. Students team up to volunteer, fundraise, promote awareness, or advance their own social enterprise during an eight-week period.
- Laura Gonzalez (Miles for Smiles)
Laura Gonzalez is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park studying communication with a concentration in public relations. She is also minoring in international development and conflict management. In addition to being a full-time student, she also serves as the part time communication assistant at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) and the communication and public policy intern at The Alliance for Charitable Reform, a project of the Philanthropy Roundtable. Laura recently co-founded the student-led start up, Miles for Smiles UMD, dedicated to eradicating oral care health issues in rural Honduras. The team was selected as the first place $5,000 grand prize winners and the audience choice award recipient, receiving an additional $2,500. The team will use this money to purchase dental care equipment including a portable x-ray, a generator and an extraction kit, which will allow each week-long dental mission in Honduras to serve 500 more children than before. Read more.
Fulbright Fellowship
Fulbright Grants are awarded annually to about 8,000 scholars and teachers wishing to internationally study and practice teaching. Supported and funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the United States Department of State, the Fulbright scholarships have been aiding students in study abroad since 1946. This year, twelve University of Maryland students and recent graduates earned grants to teach English or complete research projects. One of the chosen twelve is a START intern, who will be traveling to Turkey to teach English for the academic year.
- Julia Connell (award to teach English in Turkey)
Julia is a 2014 graduate with a degree in government and politics and a minor in global terrorism. In addition to her English teaching duties in Turkey, Julia will volunteer with the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey, which supports children’s education and personal growth outside the classroom. Upon her return to the U.S., Julia will pursue a position with a development organization with a strong focus on education as well as work toward a master’s degree in international development. Ultimately she hopes to work abroad to help develop higher education programs and increase community engagement with education, particularly for women. Read more.
Critical Language Scholarship
A program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Critical Language Scholarships offer formal classroom language instruction overseas for a minimum of 20 hours per week. Extracurricular activities are designed to supplement the formal curriculum, including regular one-on-one meetings with native speaker language partners for conversational practice, as well as cultural activities and excursions designed to expand students’ understanding of the history, politics, culture and daily life of their host country. Program costs – airfare, tuition, room and board, cultural program expenses, overseas health benefits, and applicable visa fees – are fully covered for all participants.
One of the 10 University of Maryland students selected for this program is a student just beginning START’s Global Terrorism Minor program.
- Zachary Goldblatt (award to study Arabic in Amman, Jordan)
Zachary is a freshman in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences double-majoring in Government and Politics and Arabic Studies, and minoring in Global Terrorism Studies. He is a member of Maryland’s Arabic Flagship Program.