Five students in the new Portuguese Flagship Program have received the prestigious Boren Scholarship, worth $25,000, to fund their capstone years in Brazil.
The Portuguese Flagship Program was launched in fall 2024 with a $1.2 million grant, which provides numerous resources to students studying Portuguese, including one-to-one advising and tutoring, career counseling with local professionals, summer study abroad opportunities in Salvador, the capital of Bahia in northeastern Brazil, and a capstone year in Brazil for additional classes and internships.
“We are thrilled and proud to celebrate this achievement — it is a huge step in the academic and professional trajectory of these incredible students,” said Kátia Bezerra, Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and Director of the Portuguese Flagship Program.
The U of A is one of two institutions awarded a Portuguese Flagship grant, joining the University of Georgia, and one of four universities nationally with at least two flagship programs. The Boren recipients are Brianna Devlon, Max Hayward, Pablo Enrique Martinez Bojorquez, Julianna Schrader and Austin Willis.
“What I value most about the Boren Scholarship is the focus on language learning tied directly to public service; I won’t just spend a capstone year in Brazil, but apply my experience in a meaningful way. The scholarship has reinforced my commitment to working in international policy, and is providing me with the tools I need to be successful in my dream career as an attorney for global human rights,” Schrader said.
“The world I was born into isn’t the only one I’ll ever know. I make my own fate, and through Boren, learning Portuguese became the first step in changing my own world,” said Pablo Enrique Martinez Bojorquez.
“Boren is so important to me because it is a way that I can further my knowledge about my future career field. As an aspiring Portuguese interpreter, it is extremely important that I expand my Portuguese fluency - what better way to do this than to live in Brazil! I am very grateful to have received funding to be able to travel to Brazil and continue learning a language that is so special to me. Boren is beneficial to me because instead of paying for my Flagship program out of pocket, I now have the financial help to experience Brazil and its culture to the fullest and not having finances impede my experience! I want to say thank you again to Boren for selecting me to receive such a generous and prestigious scholarship,” Hayward said.
“Boren is so important for my educational and future career goals. Without it, I would not be able to complete my Capstone year in Brazil. I am so beyond grateful for this opportunity provided by the scholarship and I cannot wait to embark on my professional journey abroad,” Devlon said.
The Language Flagship programs, are a public/private partnership sponsored by the National Security Education Program of the Department of Defense and administered by the Institute of International Education. The program seeks to graduate students with professional-level proficiency in a language critical to U.S. national security, including Portuguese.
The U of A has nearly 50-year history teaching Portuguese, with a multidisciplinary curriculum that has attracted about 1,600 students into Portuguese language and culture courses over the last five years.