Master of Public and International Affairs students Michael DeAngelo (MPIA ’24), Ryan Druffner (MPIA ’25), and Kristina Rajakovich (MPIA ’25) have been awarded Boren Fellowships to support their international language studies in the coming year.
"I am incredibly grateful to the Boren committee for selecting me for this amazing opportunity,” said Druffner, who will be spending eight months studying Persian in Tajikistan. “Thank you to the tireless work of my advisors, professors, and others who helped me succeed. I hope to take everything I've learned in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs with me into the Boren and beyond."
An initiative of the National Security Education Program, Boren Fellowships provide funding for graduate students interested in geographic areas and languages underrepresented in study abroad programs and broadly defined as critical to U.S. national security. Students are encouraged to immerse themselves in the local culture beyond their language training, often pursuing research, additional academic coursework, or an internship while overseas.
All fellows commit to at least one year of work in a federal agency upon the completion of their studies, with preference given to applicants who demonstrate a longer-term commitment to government service. This was a major draw for DeAngelo, who concentrated in Security and Intelligence Studies and African Studies during his graduate studies and will be studying Wolof in Senegal.
"I am planning to use the Boren Fellowship as a springboard to a career in national security,” DeAngelo said when asked what drew him to the program. “It is an excellent opportunity acquire language and cross-cultural communication skills in Senegal that will prepare me to contribute to this field."
First-year student Kristina Rajakovich is also pursuing a concentration in Security and Intelligence Studies here at Pitt, and will be furthering her Croatian language skills as a Boren Fellow in Croatia.
“The Boren fellowship uniquely combines my interest in the Balkan region and US national security and offers a remarkable experience for me to engage in these topics more fully within the region. I am looking forward to immersing myself in the language and culture in Croatia to bring that experience back to my studies here at Pitt," shared Rajakovich.