When deciding where to go to college, none of the schools visited by Kaitlin Bell felt quite right until she set foot on Florida State University’s campus.

Her academic dedication is evident through her consistent inclusion on the Dean’s List across multiple semesters, despite the challenges of juggling two jobs alongside full-time studies.

Bell was proud to complete an internship at the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C., where she played a key role in advancing human rights resolutions at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Additionally, she found fulfillment in community service through tutoring at the Leon County Public Library’s English as a Second Language program, where she helped students from different backgrounds improve their language skills and achieve their educational goals.

Now, Bell is off to Azerbaijan to study Turkish as a recipient of the prestigious Boren Award. Bell was also selected to participate in the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program after earning the Boren Award. After graduation, she hopes to join the Department of State’s Civil or Foreign Service.

As a student from Texas, what brought you to Florida State?

I knew throughout my high school career that I wanted to leave my hometown and go to school out of state. I narrowed down an entire country’s worth of schools by purely logistical factors in a spreadsheet and I compared them based on proximity to family, cost and AP credit acceptance; anticipating I would select my home for the next four years based on rational deduction alone. That summer, I toured schools all along the East Coast, from Syracuse, New York, to Tampa. While logically they checked all the boxes, none felt quite right.

Then I stepped onto Florida State’s campus. As the tour ended and I admired the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall, former President Thrasher made his way around the group, shaking everyone’s hand and welcoming us to the university. At that moment, I realized that there was something special about Florida State that couldn’t be summed up in a spreadsheet or pro-con chart. The magic of Florida State is its people and the culture of truly caring for every student. I realized at that moment that my college experience was going to be defined by the strong sense of community and belonging that thrives at Florida State.

What have been some of your proudest academic accomplishments?

I have loved learning from a very young age, and my passion for academics is most clearly demonstrated in my inclusion on the Dean’s List for the 2020 Fall, 2021 Spring, 2021 Summer, 2021 Fall and 2023 Fall semesters. This not only demonstrates scholastic dedication over time but should also be recognized in the context of my employment working two jobs while being a full-time student.

How do you work to advance human rights through your position with the U.S. Department of State?

One of the things I am proudest of during my time at FSU was my tenure as an intern at the United States Department of State. I worked in the Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance Office, which was primarily focused on passing human rights resolutions through the United Nations Human Rights Council. I spearheaded the Troika team response to the resolution for the “Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 30th Anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,” which was passed by joint consensus at the Human Rights Council’s 52nd session. I learned so much about professional leadership through this experience and how imperative cross-departmental communication and collaboration are to the success of a project.  

This experience not only allowed me to be a leader in my workplace but also supported America’s initiatives to lead the world toward a future where human rights are protected everywhere. The result of United Nations resolutions will be microscopic alterations, but the lasting impact will be recognized on a macro level across the globe. I felt incredibly proud of my contribution to the small step toward improving human rights and the quality of life for people. Thanks to this incredible opportunity, I am now on a path to pursuing a full-time role at the Department of State, so I can continue leading American foreign policy abroad. 

What was your most rewarding community service experience?

I found an opportunity as a tutor for Leon County Public Library’s English as a Second Language program. Week after week I would work with members of the community to strengthen their language skills, helping students pass the GED, improving their language and vocabulary skills and practicing conversational dialogue. My favorite part of the entire experience was learning about different people’s cultures and perspectives, as our students hailed from Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. I found volunteering to be incredibly rewarding, seeing students’ progress and celebrating every triumph as students became ever more confident. 

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Five Florida State University undergraduate students have been selected to receive nationally competitive language study scholarships through initiatives funded by the federal government.

Three FSU students won Boren Scholarships, which are offered through an initiative of the National Security Education Program and two students won Critical Language Scholarships (CLS), offered through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Both scholarships aim to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages critical to national security and economic prosperity.

The Boren Awards allow students to study abroad for up to a year in areas of the world critical to U.S. national security. Named after David L. Boren, former governor of Oklahoma and three-term senator, the scholarship provides up to $20,000 for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in regions that are underrepresented in study abroad programs and critical to U.S. interests, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East.

The 2024 Boren Scholarship recipients are:

Kate Alonso, 23, a senior working toward a dual degree in international affairs and philosophy with a minor in French, will spend her summer immersed in the Indonesian language and culture. In the future, she plans to attend graduate school with the goal of improving relations between the United States and Southeast Asia. She also has studied Arabic within the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics and completed the U.S. Intelligence Certificate with the Askew School of Public Administration.

“Southeast Asia is rarely discussed outside of conflicts, international manufacturing, trade and military endeavors, yet it’s important to expand our discourse and understandings to include the culture, history and beauty of the region while advocating for human rights,” Alonso said. “Receiving a Boren Scholarship grants me the opportunity to study Indonesian language and culture at the intimate level needed to build relationships and foster connections to engage with communities on the ground, and I am beyond grateful for this experience.”

Shallom Tabib, 21, a senior pursuing a major in political science with a minor in Russian and Eastern European studies, will study Russian in Latvia this fall. Like Alonso, Tabib is also pursuing the U.S. Intelligence and National Security Certificate. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in international affairs while continuing to study U.S Intelligence and National Security.

“Studying in Latvia will allow me to advance my novice Russian language skills and be better equipped to work with analysts in the target language,” Tabib said. “Moreover, mastering a foreign language is imperative when dealing with issues in foreign policy and can help bridge the gap between countries.”

Kaitlin Bell, 21, a senior pursuing a dual degree in international affairs and business management, will travel to Azerbaijan to study Turkish. After graduation, she hopes to join the Department of State’s Civil or Foreign Service.

“The Boren Award will allow me to study Turkish in an immersive environment and have the opportunity to connect with a diverse range of people, perspectives and cultures,” Bell said. “This cross-cultural experience will provide me with an invaluable foundation for a career in diplomacy.”

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, provides American undergraduate students from diverse disciplines with 8 to 10 weeks abroad while studying one of 15 critical languages. The program’s goal is for each scholarship recipient to act as a citizen ambassador in their country while finding their place in a globalized workforce.

The 2024 CLS recipients are:

Rosalyn (Roz) Wadsworth, 22, a senior majoring in anthropology with a minor in Japanese language and culture, will study at Okayama University in Okayama, Japan. After graduating, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in anthropology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a primary focus in archaeology.

“I am incredibly grateful to have been given the opportunity to immerse myself in Japanese language and culture,” Wadsworth said. “I am excited to expand my linguistic skills and connect these skills to my academic and professional pursuits in anthropological study.”

Auria Rembert, 20, a junior majoring in international affairs and studying Arabic, will study at the Jordan Language Academy in Amman, Jordan. Her goal is to work in diplomacy, specifically in the Middle East.

“I am deeply grateful to get this opportunity,” Rembert said. “My goal abroad is to be a sponge: Learning the culture, the food and, of course, developing in the language. I am truly honored and excited to broaden my global knowledge.”

For more information on scholarships and foreign language studies, contact the Office of National Fellowships.

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