As a junior, Emma Smith ’14 studied abroad in Egypt with the support of a Boren Scholarship. The Boren provides American undergraduate students with the resources and encouragement they need to acquire skills and experiences in areas of the world critical to the future security of the United States in return for their commitment to seek work in the federal government. Below, she reflects on her experience and offers advice to future candidates for the Boren Scholarship.
Spending the past academic year studying Arabic in Egypt, I learned more about Egyptian culture, U.S. society, and myself than I knew was possible. In that time I cemented my desire to pursue a career in economic development, hopefully in the Middle East. But much more importantly, I saw that the vague academic subjects that I studied were in fact depictions of real individuals’ lives. Through my friendships with Egyptians, I deepened my dedication to fair, effective development, and established skills that will help me in forwarding these goals. This opportunity was possible, and supported, by the NSEP Boren Scholarship Program.
Deciding to Apply
I first learned of the NSEP Boren Scholarship through the Office of International Studies at Wellesley. The scholarship offers up to $20,000 to students to study less commonly taught languages in less frequently visited areas of the world. In return for funding, Boren Scholars must then work in a national security position of their choosing with the Federal Government for one year after graduation. Having studied Arabic for some time, I was determined to study abroad in the Middle East and acquire the highest level of Arabic proficiency possible. Additionally, I expected to pursue a career in the U.S. State Department, which fit into the national security requirements of the Boren Program. In looking at the structure of the Boren Program, I could easily see how the program fit with my goals. Not only did the Boren Program provide me with funding for my experience abroad but it also encouraged a language-intensive approach and connected me with a network of like-minded students across the Middle East.
I did initially feel some hesitation regarding the service requirement, as I worried that I might be forced to rush into a job with the government immediately following graduation. I also worried over how to detail my interest in employment in the Federal Government in my scholarship essays, since I did not yet have exact career plans (and in fact still don’t!). However I then learned that the program allows two years after graduation before beginning the service requirement. As such, there is plenty of time for me to explore other opportunities, such as the Fulbright Program or the Peace Corps, or even complete a master’ degree, before diving into the service requirement.
Writing Your Essays
One of the most difficult aspects of writing my Boren Scholarship essays was determining how to approach national security. Given the Boren program’s goal of supporting students who will advance national security with their unique skills and experience acquired abroad, a strong application must highlight the connection of your academic studies to national security. I find there is a misconception that national security must be military-type security. I first wondered how to fit my field of study into such a narrow definition. Luckily, national security can be defined in a vast litany of ways. During my time in Egypt I met Boren Scholars majoring in Business, Environmental Studies, Biology, and Political Science. I’m an Economics and Middle Eastern Studies major. Each scholar I met and I defined national security uniquely, but in sum we all viewed national security as bettering the international community. Having a healthier, better-educated, more economically-empowered international community is just as important as (if not more than) military strategy and border security in establishing and maintaining U.S. national security.
Keeping this in mind, you will best write a compelling essay by describing the role you imagine yourself playing in this broadened understanding of national security. To do this well, you need to discuss your academic subject, the country and region you want to visit, and the language you will study with academic thoroughness and insight (while keeping the essay readable to a layman). For example, as an Economics and Middle Eastern Studies major I didn’t simply discuss the hot issues in the Middle East in general; rather I referenced the potentially destabilizing effects of country-specific economic concerns. A friend of mine who is also a Boren recipient (majoring in Environmental Studies) said that she discussed in some detail a number of environmental issues she had studied, such as food security and water access.
Like many Wellesley students, I am passionate about my field and eagerly anticipated the opportunity to immerse myself in a rigorous Arabic language program and better understand Egyptian culture. I was rewarded with opportunities students dream of, such as visiting rural Nile Delta farms, exploring the Pharonic Valley of the Dead at Luxor, and witnessing firsthand the process of Egypt’s governmental transition. The Boren Scholarship Program helped me and other Scholars I met to embrace our academic curiosity, commitment to international progress, and adventurousness. Now, armed with a deeper understanding of Egyptian society and advanced Arabic proficiency, I look to delve deeper into development issues and also continue to build on my language skills before beginning my service requirement, hopefully at the U.S. State Department.
-Emma Smith ’14