Macey Woodlock, an Eckerd College senior, had the idea while talking with a coworker at Integrated Refugee Services, a branch of the local nonprofit Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services.
“We get a lot of refugees who come there because there’s a lot of conflict in East African countries, and a lot of the refugees speak Swahili,” explains Macey, an international relations and global affairs and environmental studies student from Crystal Lake, Illinois, who volunteers at Gulf Coast. “A coworker from Kenya suggested I learn it, and I thought being able to speak the language of so many clients would be really helpful.”
She’ll have the opportunity to do so. Macey is the third Eckerd College student to be awarded the renowned Boren Scholarship. Macey will travel to Tanzania later this year to study Swahili as part of the Scholarship’s African Flagship Languages Initiative. “It’s easy to get used to things the way they are,” Macey says. “This will definitely be something different.”
Eckerd’s previous Boren Scholars and the year and language selected were Lucas Seipp-Williams ’03 (2001, Thai) and Zachary Liggett ’96 (1994, Japanese).
The African Flagship Languages Initiative, which began in 2011, intends to expand the number of Boren Scholars and Fellows studying African languages. Boren students are required to attend an eight-week full-time intensive program at the University of Florida in June and July. Students then fly abroad for a full-time foreign immersion language and cultural study during the fall semester, which is coordinated by American Councils for International Education.
The Boren Scholarship gives students with up to $25,000 to study language and culture overseas. In exchange, students commit to seek employment with the United States government.
Allison Quatrini, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science at Eckerd, was Macey’s mentor; Quatrini obtained a Boren Fellowship as a graduate student at George Washington University in 2013 and traveled to mainland China to study Mandarin. “Macey going to Tanzania to study Swahili is enormous,” adds Quatrini. “She approached me with the idea, and she’s probably one of the most motivated mentees I’ve had in my time here.” I have to remind her to slow down and take a breath every now and again.”
“Most of my coworkers are former refugees who speak at least three languages,” Macey adds. “In America, we can get away with speaking just English. But being able to communicate with these individuals makes immigration easier for the refugees. This is really important. My goal is to work for the State Department and use my skills to work with resettlement projects or on regulatory policy.”
Michael Burch, Ph.D., Eckerd’s associate professor of political science, has performed research in Uganda and North Africa, among other places. This semester, he has Macey in his African Politics class, and he emphasizes the significance of the Boren Award.
“Macey may not be completely fluent by the end of her time there, but even being able to engage in basic communication breaks down barriers and improves relationships,” Burch says. “Swahili is a very widely spoken language around East Africa; an estimated 60 to 80 million people have it as a first or second language. But so few people from the West attempt to learn the language.
“I’ve always been impressed with Macey’s inquisitiveness and interest in the greater world around her,” Burch adds. “This will open doors that she didn’t even know existed. She could end up with a career in the region dealing with international development or environmental issues. And it’s important for the College because it demonstrates that you can build out a competitive application for these hard-to-achieve scholarships.
“Last year, only 12 students across the country were chosen to go to Tanzania. It’s a very rigorous, very selective program.”