April 26, 2024

We're pleased to announce that two Drexel students have been selected for 2024 Boren Awards and one has been named as an alternate. The Boren Awards recognize students who demonstrate strong academic achievement and commitment to language study in regions critical to U.S. national interests. We're so proud of these students for their hard work in the application process, and wish them the best in their future adventures!

Jordan Adams
global studies '26
Boren Alternate to Taiwan

Jordan is a 3rd year global studies major whose academic and professional interests include politics, law, philosophy, and human rights and justice. Jordan enjoys both learning Mandarin from and teaching English to others.

Rymirah Garfield
global studies '26
Boren Scholar to South Korea

Rymirah is an aspiring educator whose interests lie in educational development and policies, mentoring, teaching English, and being an academic resource. She is pursuing a global studies major with a global health and sustainability concentration, a language minor in Korean, and a DTMY English/Science certification. Her field of study revolves around international interpretation and development, globalization, public health, language acquisition, and establishing an understanding of education and the responsibilities of an educator. As a Boren Scholar, Rymirah will study Korean during her study abroad at Seoul National University (SNU).

Emily Lincoln
MPH '25
Boren Fellow to Brazil

Emily Lincoln is a second-year graduate student pursuing her Masters in Public Health (MPH) in Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) from Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health. She aspires to increase the passing of evidence-based policies while improving systems for efficiency and equity while addressing universal issues like Climate Change. Following graduation, she aims to work as an Environmental Policy Analyst for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Over the summer of 2023, Emily traveled to Eswatini in regional Southern Africa as a Dornsife Global Development Scholar (DGDS). While there, she worked alongside World Vision International to understand the process of developing access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and practices. Through this she grew her interest in global health through work that addressed health disparities for the most vulnerable and at risk communities. Starting in June, Emily will begin her Portuguese language study domestically before traveling to Brazil in the fall and spring through the National Security Education Program (NSEP) Boren Fellowship. She’s excited to learn more about Brazilian culture, to increase her ability to communicate and connect with others through another language, and to learn from perspectives outside of the U.S. that will help address leading world issues. 

At Drexel, Emily is a Dornsife Public Health Research Fellow working to address health effects of extreme heat, an active member of the EOH Journal Club, and a regular participant in case competitions.

The Boren Awards, an initiative of the National Security Education Program (NSEP), fund undergraduate and graduate US citizens to study less commonly taught languages in world regions that are critical to U.S. national security and underrepresented in study abroad. The awards promote long term cultural and linguistic immersion in countries in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Boren applicants are highly motivated individuals with an interest in serving in the federal national security arena. In exchange for funding, Boren awardees commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation.

For more information, visit the official Boren Awards website or contact fellowships@drexel.edu.