Florida State University students and recent graduates earned 10 nationally competitive scholarships to study critical languages abroad during the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years.  

The awards include four Boren Awards and six Critical Language Scholarships (CLS), which support students studying languages considered critical to U.S. national security and economic interests. 

Senior Gage Stanton earned both awards. After receiving a CLS to study Russian during the 2025-26 academic year, Stanton was awarded a Boren Scholarship for 2026-27 and is currently studying Russian overseas. 

The Boren Awards allow students to study abroad for up to a year in areas of the world critical to U.S. national security. The scholarship provides up to $20,000 for undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in regions underrepresented in study abroad programs and considered critical to U.S. interests, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East. 

During the 2025-26 academic year, three FSU students received Boren Scholarships, offered through an initiative of the National Security Education Program. 

Nadia Rassech, who graduated in summer 2026 with degrees in international affairs and Middle Eastern Studies, received the scholarship to study Arabic in Morocco. 

During the fall 2025 and spring 2026 semesters, Rassech spent nine months in Rabat, Morocco, immersing herself in Arabic while studying local history, film, literature and political science through Amideast Education Abroad, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educational development in the Middle East and North Africa. 

“I liked how well-rounded the program was for getting a better sense of Moroccan history and society outside of language studies,” she said. “You learn so much about a language by living in a place and exploring its culture, and vice versa — by studying a language, you learn a lot about a country’s culture and history.” 

Rassech, who long wanted to study abroad, had already immersed herself in Arabic language and culture on campus, building a strong foundation through classes in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. She also lived in the Arabic Language House, where students reside with a native Arabic speaker and practice the language beyond the classroom, and worked as an assistant at FSU’s Middle East Center, an interdisciplinary center focused on the region. 

She also completed internships at the Foundation Orient Occident, a local nonprofit that supports refugee communities through cultural exchange and community development. 

Rassech previously studied abroad in Fez, Morocco, through FSU funding, and at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg in Germany through the Center for Global Engagement’s Global Exchanges Program. She said the Boren Scholarship’s length and scope provided greater opportunities for language, cultural and community immersion. 

“My biggest takeaway from the experience was not only my language development, but also the community that I was able to build in that city,” she said. “I don’t think I would have gotten nearly as much out of this experience if I hadn’t been in one place for a whole academic year.” 

Maya O’Donnell, who earned her bachelor’s degree in international affairs from FSU in 2024 and is now pursuing a graduate degree in international affairs, studied Russian in Latvia.  

Sandra Leis, who earned her bachelor’s degree in linguistics and languages in spring 2026 and is now pursuing a graduate degree in East Asian languages and cultures, studied Mandarin in Taiwan. For the 2026-27 award cycle, Stanton became FSU’s next Boren Scholar and is studying Russian overseas. 

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the CLS provides eight to 10 weeks abroad for American undergraduate students to study one of nine critical languages (Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Swahili). Recipients also serve as citizen ambassadors while developing skills for an increasingly globalized workforce. 

During the 2025-26 academic year, four FSU students earned the Critical Language Scholarship.  

Shovik Saha, who graduated from FSU in 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary social sciences, received the scholarship to study Hindi in Jaipur, India. 

Saha attended the American Institute of Indian Studies and lived with a host family, an experience he said deepened his understanding of contemporary life in India.  

“Immersing myself in the Hindi language and South Asian culture helped me better understand diverse communities, which is especially valuable as I prepare for a legal career,” said Saha, who plans to attend law school and pursue a career in environmental law. 

Because Saha already knew Bangla, the national language of Bangladesh, learning Hindi felt like a natural next step. The languages share Indo-Aryan roots, sentence structures and many Sanskrit-derived words, though they have distinct sounds, grammar and writing systems.  

“I started the program as a beginner, and through the immersive experience and the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview, I reached intermediate mid-proficiency,” Saha said. “Since completing the program, I have continued using my Hindi skills when speaking with Hindi speakers, engaging with Hindi media and maintaining my language skills through practice.” 

Saha’s other international experiences include a UK Fulbright Summer Institute Program at the University of Exeter in 2024 and the Junior Resident Fellows Program at the Center for Khmer Studies in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in summer 2026. He said the experiences strengthened his commitment to global engagement and cultural exchange. 

“I believe experiences like this are valuable because they help me better understand people, communities and perspectives that may be very different from my own,” he said.  

Along with Saha and Stanton, Rand Peate, a graduate student in urban and regional planning, studied Arabic in Jordan through the CLS, while alumnus Jackson Root, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in spring 2025, used the scholarship to study Arabic in Egypt.  

Two more recipients from FSU earned the CLS for 2026-27. Mahathi Tallapragada, who graduated in Fall 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in biological science, used the scholarship to study Hindi in India. Sara Boswell, a sophomore double majoring in Russian and international affairs, is studying Russian in Latvia. 

Applications for the 2027-2028 CLS Program will open during the fall 2026 semester. Applications for the 2027-2028 Boren Awards are due Nov. 19.  

Undergraduate students interested in applying for a Boren Award or the CLS may contact Bonnie Garcia-Gloeckner, associate director of the Office of National Fellowships, at bjgarcia@fsu.edu, or visit onf.fsu.edu. Graduate students interested in applying for a Boren Award or the CLS may contact Keith McCall, assistant director of the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards, at kmccall2@fsu.edu, or visit ogfa.fsu.edu. 

To learn more about FSU’s global footprint, visit global.fsu.edu.  

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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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