5 Pitt students earned Boren Awards to study language abroad

Five University of Pittsburgh students were named winners of Boren Awards, which provides funding for U.S. students to study abroad in critical world regions, learning languages and cultures. After returning to the United States, the recipients will work in a federal government agency for a minimum of a year.

Four Pitt graduate students were awarded a Boren Fellowship this year:

• Michael DeAngelo is a student at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). He will study Wolof in Senegal.
• Ryan Druffner, a GSPIA student, will study Persian in Tajikistan.
• Ang Le (A&S ’23), a student at the School of Public Health, will be studying Vietnamese in Vietnam.
• Kristina Rajakovich is a GSPIA student. She will study Croatian in Croatia.

In addition, one undergraduate student earned a Boren Scholarship:

• Griffin Mekler-Culbertson, a senior in the David C. Frederick Honors College and Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, will be studying Mandarin in Taiwan.

With these four recipients, Pitt has been recognized as a 2024 Boren Fellowships Top Producer, tied with George Washington University. 

Pitt students and recent graduates can work with the David C. Frederick Honors College Office of National Scholarships and Post-Graduation Success to prepare for and apply to prestigious awards like the Boren.