3 Husker undergraduates earn Boren Awards

University of Nebraska–Lincoln undergraduates Cameron Azimi, Skylar Lowe and Andrew Neill have earned Boren scholarships to study critical languages.

The National Security Education Program is a major federal initiative designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills. NSEP’s Boren Awards program provides U.S. undergraduate and graduate students with significant funding to acquire language skills and experience in countries critical to the future security and stability of the nation. In exchange for funding, Boren Award recipients agree to work in the federal government for at least one year. This year, NSEP received 784 undergraduate applications and funded 218.

Azimi, a junior from Lincoln and Southeast High School graduate, is majoring in global studies and political science with minors in Spanish, human rights and humanitarian affairs, and national security studies. He is also a member of the University Honors Program. Azimi has been accepted into the Eurasian Regional Language Program in Tajikistan to study Persian. As an Iranian-American, he is interested in cultural diplomacy and how it can improve the United States’ relationship with Iran. He plans to work for the Department of State after attending law school, where he plans to focus his studies on international and immigration law. During his time at Nebraska, Cameron has participated in Model United Nations, volunteered with Catholic Social Services as an English language tutor and served in the Residence Hall Association. He was recently inducted into the Black Masque Chapter of Mortar Board, a senior honorary society.

Lowe, a senior from Omaha and graduate of V.J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School, is majoring in economics with a minor in global leadership. He is a member of the William H. Thompson Learning Community and a bureau scholar for the university’s Bureau of Business Research. Lowe will be learning Hindi through the South Indian Flagship Language Initiative program, sponsored by the Boren Awards. The program consists of a domestic language portion this summer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a fall semester in Jaipur, India. Lowe has taken some Hindi, having participated in a study abroad program in Singapore. He also stayed with a family in Delhi, India, as part of the program. Lowe is interested in working for the Department of State, using his expertise in economics.

Neill, a junior from Omaha and Millard North High School graduate, is majoring in global studies and geography with a minor in national security studies. He will be participating in a Flagship Language Initiative to learn Turkish in Azerbaijan. Neill hopes to work for the Department of State, using his geography skills. He has been abroad before, studying German in Berlin and taking an intensive German language course. While at Nebraska, he has participated in Model United Nations and volunteered with Lincoln Literacy to help teach English to immigrants.