Student Awarded NSEP Scholarship

Anita Sundarajan '08 has been awarded a National Security Education Program (NSEP) Scholarship, an award providing junior undergraduates the opportunity to study the languages and cultures of countries that are currently underrepresented and vital to U.S. national security interests. As a recipient, Sundarajanan international relations major from Milpitas, Calif.receives $15,000 for expenses incurred during her studies at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland.
In addition to their merit award, scholarship recipients must fulfill a year-long service requirement to the Department of Defense or State Department upon graduation.
Sundarajan was one of 140 scholarship recipients from a pool of 720 candidates.
"Winning the NSEP Scholarship is a great opportunity for me to represent the College and my country abroad," she says. "I am honored to serve the country in the Department of Defense and look forward to learning about national security issues pertaining to Poland and Eastern Europe in general."
Congress established the David L. Boren NSEP scholarships in the aftermath of the Cold War to address the national security education needs of the United States. The selection process for scholarship candidates is exacting and includes such criteria as considering the student's academic record and potential to succeed in the proposed study abroad program, commitment to international education to fulfill academic and career goals, language interest and aptitude, and the quality and appropriateness of the proposed program and its relevance to the National Security Education Program.
Sundajaran submitted a study-abroad proposal along with references and transcripts. Screening committees and evaluators then considered a number of specific attributes, including whether she was academically prepared to benefit fully from the overseas experience.
Last April, during an internship in Washington D.C., Sundarajan was selected to participate as a member of a discussion group of the Atlantic Council of the United States, spearheaded by NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/news/pressreleases/article.asp?article_id=698).
Sundajaran says her interests are both in global and domestic politics.
"My ultimate goal is to be a leader in some capacity, perhaps an ambassador or secretary of state. I just want to create change in the future, regardless of my title."