A suggestion from her Japanese sensei – her teacher, that is – has given Lauren Sroka an amazing opportunity to study for a year in Japan.
Sroka, a junior majoring in global studies, was awarded the prestigious Boren Scholarship, funded by the U.S. government through the National Security Education Program. She is the first UWM student to receive the highly competitive national award since 2015.
The Boren Awards (scholarship and fellowship) support study abroad programs focused on intensive language study, cultural immersion and long-term study abroad. Sroka is minoring in Japanese.
“My sensei (senior lecturer Masako Lackey) sent me an email from the study abroad center with information about the award, and said as a student studying Japanese, I would fit,” said Sroka. Lackey is co-coordinator of UWM’s Japanese Program.
“I’ve never left the country before, so this is going to be a whole new experience,” said Sroka, who is a first-generation student and also in Honors College.
She chose the field of global studies because, she said, “I’ve always wanted to have a career where I could impact the world on a greater scale. I also love to travel.”
Like many students, she wasn’t sure of her major before she started college, but when she found out about UWM’s global studies program, “I knew right away that this was what I wanted to do.”
After taking a couple classes on global warming, she chose the sustainability track within the global studies major. “That led me to be passionate about potentially working for the U.S. Department of Energy.”
Her interest in Japan started in childhood. “I’ve always been a fan of Japanese culture. I grew up watching anime TV shows,” she said.
Sroka will spend the second semester of her junior year (fall 2024) and the first semester of her senior year (spring 2025) in Japan, then return to UWM to finish her degree and graduate. She will be continuing her Japanese language classes in Japan, and also focusing on economics studies, looking at resources and the Japanese place on the world stage.
Her sensei is cheering her on. “I am genuinely thrilled for her and confident that she’ll make the most of this wonderful opportunity,” Lackey said.
One of the requirements of the scholarship is that recipients spend one year working for the federal government. Sroka is already planning to apply to the Clean Energy Corps, a program in the Department of Energy that focuses on climate change policies and reducing fossil fuel use.
“I’m excited about working for the federal government. I look at it as a guaranteed job, and it’s a great opportunity at the start of my career.”
