Randolet First Alma Student To Win Boren Scholarship
Madeleine Randolet, an Alma College senior from Midland, has been awarded the Boren Scholarship to study in Morocco during the 2012-13 year.
Randolet is the first student from Alma College to win the Boren Scholarship, which provides up to $20,000 to U.S. undergraduate students to study in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests. A graduate of Midland Dow High School, she is the daughter of Jacques Randolet and Lynn Pottenger.
“I have always been interested in human rights, experiencing different cultures and languages, and working in the Middle East,” says Randolet, who has competed on the Alma College nationally competitive Model United Nations team since her freshman year. “I was shocked when I learned I had received the award and am looking forward to a great experience.”
Madeleine Randolet, during competition at the 2011 national Model UN competition in New York City.
She will take classes and study Arabic at the International Institute of Language and Culture, or INLAC, in the city of Fes. She also plans to volunteer with an NGO, or non-governmental organization, while staying with a host family. Her overseas program will run from early September 2012 until early May 2013.
This will be her second visit to Morocco. She spent a week there during an earlier study abroad experience in France.
Randolet, who is pursuing a double major in French and foreign service, is one of 161 Boren Scholarship recipients nationwide selected from 1,014 applications. Recipients commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation.
“The goal of the Boren Scholarship is to prepare students to become well versed in a language important to U.S. national security,” she says. “I will go to Morocco, learn Arabic, and then return to fulfill the one-year service requirement.”
Boren Scholarships are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. Boren Scholars represent a variety of academic backgrounds, but all are interested in studying less commonly taught languages,
Applicants identify how their study abroad program, as well as their future academic and career goals, will contribute to U.S. national security.
Randolet is the third Alma College student to receive a nationally competitive scholarship this spring. Receiving Fulbright Scholarships were Heidi Beckman, who will teach English in Thailand, and Kayla Zuiderveen, who will conduct biological research in Colombia.
Alma’s Nationally Competitive Scholarship Committee helps finalists search for appropriate postgraduate scholarships, then reviews the proposals and applications. Alma’s committee identifies and nurtures exceptional candidates for nationally competitive scholarships, grants and awards.
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Posted: Mon, May 21st, 2012 at 9:01AM
