June 27, 2008

MEDIA CONTACT: Adela de la Torre: (202) 994-6424; adelita@gwu.edu

RECORD NUMBER OF GW STUDENTS WIN PRESTIGIOUS BOREN SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDY UNDERREPRESENTED LANGUAGES AND CULTURES ABROAD

WASHINGTON - Seven George Washington University students have been awarded highly competitive 2008-09 David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarships for study abroad by the National Security Education Program. The Boren Scholarships are made available to undergraduates who are citizens of the United States to focus on languages and cultures currently underrepresented in study abroad and critical to national security. The seven winners are:

Katherine Mazzarella is a freshman in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences from St. Louis, Mo.  She is double majoring in Chinese languages and literature and East Asian languages and literature.  With her Boren Scholarship, she will learn Mandarin in Beijing, China, for the summer.

Sean Murawski from Lake Worth, Fla., is a junior in the Elliott School of International Affairs majoring in international politics.  He also will study Mandarin in Beijing, China, this summer and fall.

Harald Olsen of Redding, Conn., is a sophomore in the Elliott School of International Affairs, concentrating in East Asia, Pacific, and Australia area studies.  He will travel to Seoul, South Korea, for a year.

Chloe Shields is a freshman in the Elliott School of International Affairs with a minor in environmental studies.  She grew up in Cumberland, Maine.  She will focus on Portuguese in Brazil for the summer.

Kimberly Turley of Fort Collins, Co., from the School of Engineering and Applied Science was among the seven offered an award but turned it down in favor of a Department of Homeland Security undergraduate scholarship.

Gavin Wilson from Columbus, Ohio, is a sophomore in the Elliott School of International Affairs.  His concentration is Middle East area studies.  With his Boren Scholarship, he will attend the American University in Cairo this fall.

Serena Wong is a freshman from Washington, D.C., is majoring in finance in the School of Business with a minor in Chinese languages and literature.  Already a speaker of Cantonese, Wong plans to study Mandarin in Beijing, China.

The goal of the National Security Education Program is to enhance the capacity of the federal government to deal effectively with the challenging global issues of the 21st century. The scholarships are merit-based and provide financial awards of up to $8,000 for summer study, $10,000 for a semester or $20,000 for a full academic year. 

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