Fresno State linguistics student Austin Jones was awarded a David L. Boren scholarship to study in China. He will study Mandarin at Southwest University for Nationalities in Chengdu, China during the 2013-14 academic year.

Jones is among 161 undergraduate students who received Boren Scholarship awards from among 947 nationwide applicants.

“We are delighted that Austin Jones will have this wonderful experience while gaining critical language skills,” said Dr. Sarah Lam, Coordinator of Global Education. “The Boren awards are another component of our concentrated efforts to provide international study opportunities to Fresno State students.”

Lam encourages students to visit the Study Abroad and International Exchanges Office in the Family and Food Sciences building (room 119) to learn about study abroad opportunities.

Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are sponsored by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), a federal initiative designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills. The awards provide U.S. undergraduate and graduate students with resources and encouragement to acquire language skills and experience in countries critical to the future security and stability of our nation.

In exchange for funding, Boren award recipients agree to work in the federal government for at least one year after they graduate.

Since 1994, more than 5,000 students have received Boren Awards. According to Lam, Boren undergraduate scholars and graduate fellows, who represent a pool of highly motivated individuals who wish to work in the federal national security arena, and program alumni, are contributing to the critical missions of agencies throughout the federal government.

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