By Rachel Berry

Sophomore international studies and East Asian Languages & Cultures double major Max Micheli was awarded the Boren Scholarship, a competitive national scholarship focused on less commonly taught languages. Micheli will study Mandarin in China for spring and summer of 2020.

Sophomore international studies and political science double major Emily Froude is also an alternate for the program to study Arabic in Jordan.

The Boren Scholarship is sponsored by the National Security Education Program and requires that students work for the federal government for at least a year following graduation. The program focuses on long-term language study, with preference given to students who stay for six months or longer.

Micheli has been studying Chinese since middle school.

“I thought what would help me the most in the future and what would be the most valuable language to learn,” Micheli said.

Micheli wants to work in cybersecurity in the future. While abroad, Micheli will take upper-level Chinese language courses in addition to literature and history classes.

“It’s something that is career defining,” Micheli said. “I’m going to be working somewhere for the government; that is set in stone, so it was sort of relieving … because I just don’t have to worry as much about my future especially just out of college.”

Miami University hasn’t had a Boren Scholarship recipient since 2014.

“I think it’s fantastic [that Micheli received the scholarship],” said Karla Guinigundo, director of global partnerships. “These are extremely competitive scholarships to receive.”