The political science and Russian double major will use the scholarship to enhance her Russian language skills in a program at Saint Petersburg State University.
Jackie LaBua '13, a political science and Russian double major, has been awarded a David L. Boren Scholarship to study in Russia.
Boren Awards are sponsored by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), a federal initiative focused on building a broader pool of U.S. citizens with crucial foreign language skills and experience in countries critical to the future security of the U.S.
LaBua will spend the 2013-2014 academic year studying at Saint Petersburg State University, where she will be a participant in the Russian Language Flagship Program. LaBua, whose senior thesis examines state behavior in humanitarian arms control negotiations, will live with a Russian family in Saint Petersburg during that year.
The Boren Awards are administered by the Institute of International Education, which received a historically high number of applications this year for the scholarships, as well as for Boren Fellowships (which go to graduate students). According to the IIE, 947 undergraduate students applied for the highly selective scholarships and 161 were awarded.
As a condition of accepting the Boren award, recipients agree to work in the federal government for a period of at least one year. LaBua, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, says she hopes to fulfill her government service requirement by working for the State Department.
