Two HPU Students Selected as Boren Scholars
HIGH POINT, N.C., May 2, 2024 – Two High Point University students, senior Savannah Graver from Orefield, Pennsylvania, and junior Mac Mollins from Clayton, North Carolina, have been awarded David L. Boren Scholarships for 2024-2025.
Boren Scholarships provide undergraduates with up to $25,000 to acquire language skills and experience in countries critical to the security and stability of the United States. They are sponsored by the National Security Education Program in the Defense Language and National Security Education Office, a federal initiative designed to build a more qualified U.S. citizenry with international skills.
Graver, an international relations major with minors in Chinese and environmental science, received the award to study Mandarin at National Taiwan Normal University in Taiwan from July 2024 to February 2025. She expressed thanks to Dr. Daliang Wang, associate professor of Chinese and chair of HPU’s Department of World Languages, Literature and Cultures, and Dr. Mark Setzler, professor of political science and director of the International Relations Program.
“I also want to thank Dr. James Cotton, director of the Office of Fellowships and Awards and assistant professor of English, who worked endlessly with me to perfect my essays and application,” Graver said. “I am very grateful to the HPU community for helping me achieve my goals.”
Setzler said, “Savannah’s prestigious Boren award is the result of years of focused study and her passion for international affairs. She will return to the United States well-prepared for graduate school in international relations or ready to launch a career in the national intelligence community.”
Mollins, an Honors Scholar with double majors in history and political science, received the Boren Scholarship to study Turkish. This summer, he will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison before traveling to the University of Baku, Azerbaijan to continue his Turkish studies during the fall semester. He thanked his professors, Setzler and Dr. Andrew Tzavaras, instructor of history and secondary history program coordinator, for their support, and Cotton for helping him perfect his Boren application.
“Mac is an outstanding student of history and political science,” said Setzler. “His hard work in both disciplines has resulted in him winning this prestigious scholarship. He excels in the classroom but also is someone who loves sharing his knowledge with individuals and groups outside of the academy through his blog entries, podcasts and highly informed conversations. I anticipate that Mac’s Boren-supported, intensive study of Turkish and living abroad in Azerbaijan will prove to be valuable early steps toward a long-term career focusing on international security issues.”
In exchange for funding, Boren award recipients agree to work in the federal government for at least one year. HPU student Daniel Desjarlais, an international relations and criminal justice double major, was named a Boren scholar in 2023 and studied Turkish language and culture.