The Boren Scholarships are competitive awards that give undergraduate students the chance to study languages critical to U.S. national security and the culture of regions of the world often unavailable to the typical student who chooses to study abroad. After completing their degree, Boren Scholars serve the federal government for at least one year, which provides them with valuable work experience.
In recent years, Purdue has produced two remarkable Boren Scholars, including wildlife student Sophia Flores.
Advocating for wildlife domestically and abroad
As a wildlife major, Sophia Flores has excelled in finding ways to communicate social, environmental and sustainability needs. One example is when Flores presented a session on “brave spaces” to promote and advocate for the inclusion of minority groups in the field of natural resources at the 2022 Environmental Education Association of Indiana Conference.
“Promoting equality and encouraging diversity in this field is extremely important for the expansion of new ideas and future progress,” Flores said.
Elizabeth Flaherty, associate professor in the College of Agriculture, recommended Flores for the Boren Scholarship.
“In the time I have known Sophia, I have been very impressed with her breadth of knowledge related to ecology, her interest in building on her existing knowledge and her ability to problem-solve and use critical thinking skills. She is very interculturally aware and can easily adapt to uncertainty and new challenges,” Flaherty shared.
Upon earning the scholarship, Flores chose to study abroad in Tanzania due to the combination of unique wildlife research opportunities and the chance for her to continue to develop her aptitude as a Swahili speaker.
“I learned so many different cultural lessons while I was studying abroad. The academic research was helpful for me, but being able to immerse myself in the culture of the different tribes and better understand other perspectives in their own language was what I think made my experience so special,” Flores reflected.
After graduating from Purdue, Flores plans to use what she learned in Tanzania to develop a career in providing professional recommendations regarding the use of natural resources.
National and International Scholarships Office
The National and International Scholarships Office (NISO) is housed in the John Martinson Honors College and works with students across campus to coordinate the process of applying for scholarships and grants that require a university nomination. Purdue students applying for prestigious awards such as the Boren Scholarship receive support and guidance through this office.
In the past six years, more than 50% of the applicants working closely with NISO received the Boren Scholarship or Boren Fellowship.
“Studying abroad was something I’ve always wanted to do, but the big cost of wildlife programs made it difficult,” Flores said. “Applying for Boren and earning the scholarship was so important for me to be able to explore my interests in the way that I did.”
In addition to the Boren Scholarship Flores also received the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship, which included a Critical Need Language Award to supplement her Swahili studies.
Read about Purdue’s other Boren Scholar, Charlotte Yeung, on the Teaching and Learning website.
Owen Hughes
Student Communication Assistant for Teaching and Learning, hughe357@purdue.edu