CSU Student Jarrell Salone Awarded Prestigious Boren Scholarship for Study Abroad in Jordan
International Relations major will attend Qasid Arabic Institute for 2015-2016 academic year

Cleveland State University student Jarrell Salone has been awarded a prestigious Boren Scholarship to study abroad in Jordan during the upcoming academic year.

Salone, a resident of Garfield Heights, Ohio, is majoring in International Relations at CSU, with a double minor in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic. He is a U.S. Army veteran whose five years of active duty as a combat medic included deployment to Iraq, where he became interested in the Middle East in general and the Arabic language in particular.

From August 2015 to May 2016, Salone will further his studies at Qasid Arabic Institute in Amman, the Jordanian capital, through a partnership with AMIDEAST, an American nonprofit organization engaged in international education, training and development in the Middle East and North Africa.

Salone is one of only four Boren Scholarship recipients from Ohio and 171 nationwide. More than 700 students applied for the competitive scholarships, which are sponsored by the National Security Education Program, a federal initiative designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills.

Administered by the Institute of International Education, Boren Scholarships provide undergraduates with resources to acquire experience and language skills in countries that are considered critical to the future security and stability of the United States. In exchange for funding, Boren Scholars agree to work in the federal government for at least one year.

"I am exceptionally proud and honored to have been selected as a Boren Scholar," Salone said. "I join a cohort of professionals who share a devotion to international studies and language, as well as a strong commitment to our nation's security."

Salone was invited to the Boren Awards Convocation in June in Washington, D.C., where he attended preparatory briefings and met U.S. Senator Rob Portman.

"Jarrell is an exceptional student whose commitment to linguistic and cultural immersion in Arabic is to be commended," said Harlan Smith, director of CSU's Center for International Services and Programs. "I’m truly pleased that he will now be able to take his CSU education to the next level. Jarrell is the first CSU student to win a Boren Scholarship in more than 10 years -- and we couldn't be more proud of this wonderful academic achievement."

The Education Abroad Office in the Center for International Services and Programs at CSU coordinates a full menu of study-abroad opportunities. During the 2014-2015 academic year alone, more than 140 CSU students studied abroad in 20-plus countries.