2026 Penn State alumna to study French in Senegal using Boren Fellowship

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State alumna Payton Smith will travel to Senegal to immerse herself in the French language and culture of the region with the support of a Boren Fellowship.

The Boren Fellowship supports graduate students with the costs of tuition, language partners, books and materials, excursions, housing, meals and a stipend. Fellows study a wide range of critical languages and come from diverse fields of study. They are committed to a period of public service after their language and culture experience abroad.

A Schreyer Scholar who graduated in May with bachelor’s degrees in political science and global and international studies from the College of the Liberal Arts, Smith said her academic path has been shaped by her interest in how identity, culture, gender and power influence both domestic and international politics.

“I grew up with two moms, so my interest in these topics began early, and my desire to learn was insatiable,” she said. “I therefore came to Penn State knowing I was interested in public service and global affairs, but over time, my coursework, research, and international experiences helped me narrow that interest toward diplomacy and international relations.”

Smith said she will pursue a career in diplomacy and plans to join the U.S. Foreign Service. With the support of the Boren Award’s African Flagship Languages Initiative in Senegal, she aims to hone her French proficiency and focus on U.S. relations in Francophone West Africa.

“Earning the Boren Award is incredibly meaningful to me because it represents the intersection of so many things I’ve worked toward throughout my time at Penn State: language learning, international engagement, public service and cross-cultural understanding,” Smith said.

After a stint in Senegal, she will continue on to graduate school at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

Outside of her studies, Smith said she is especially proud of her work as a dialogue facilitator with World in Conversation, which trains students at University Park and around the world in an evidence-based approach to small-group conflict facilitation. She served in leadership roles with the Penn State Club Track and Field Team and said this year’s women’s national title through the National Intercollegiate Running Association was “incredibly rewarding to be part of.”

Smith took on an internship in Paris researching gender bias in artificial intelligence and cultural datasets. She also recently presented her honors thesis at the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Research Expo and Undergraduate Exhibition for Research, Inquiry, and Creative Activity, experiences she said helped her grow as a researcher and communicator.

She’s also studied abroad in Greece, South Africa and France, which she said further reinforced her interest in cross-cultural engagement and international affairs. In addition to her bachelor’s degrees, Smith earned minors in minors in French and Francophone studies, psychology, and sociology.

About the Boren Awards

The Boren Awards program offers the Boren Scholarship to undergraduates and the Boren Fellowship to graduate students for the intensive study of language and culture abroad. Universities are asked to evaluate applicants for this national award, and Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring can help applicants develop their materials. The deadline for the undergraduate scholarship is typically in December, and January for the graduate fellowship.

One other Penn State graduate student earned a 2026 Boren Fellowship but declined to be named.

Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education, the academic administrative unit that provides leadership and coordination for University-wide programs in support of undergraduate teaching and learning at Penn State.