Allison Tumas, a senior majoring in Arabic in the College of Arts & Letters, is one of two Michigan State University students who recently was awarded a Boren Scholarship to study languages abroad.

Since 1991, there have been only 36 Boren award recipients from Michigan State University.

Boren Scholarships provide up to $20,000 to U.S. undergraduate students studying in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. national security interests. This year, there were 165 awards nationwide from a pool of 820 applicants.

Tumas plans to use the scholarship to study Arabic in Morocco for the summer and the 2016-17 academic year. Originally from Taylor, Michigan, Tumas wants to be a counterintelligence threat analyst.

Landon Fortenberry, a sophomore majoring in international relations in James Madison College, also is receiving a Boren Scholarship. He plans to study Mandarin in China for the summer and the 2016-17 academic year. Originally from Muskegon, Fortenberry wants to be a U.S. diplomat.

The National and International Fellowships and Scholarships Office, administered by the Honors College, helps interested undergraduate and graduate students to pursue major national and international opportunities by providing information and direct support throughout the competitive application processes.