National Security Exchange Fellowship Awarded to UA Student

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama student Ava Giana Leone of Ashville has been awarded a National Security Exchange Program Boren Graduate Fellowship.

With the Boren Fellowship, Leone will be studying in the U.S. and overseas. The program will begin with a nine-week intensive Arabic program at Middlebury College in Vermont. Leone will be in Vermont from June 16-Aug. 18 and then travel to the Palestinian Territories and Israel.

From September-December, Leone will be living in Ram Allah in the West Bank researching Palestinian public opinion toward the peace process. She will also be attending the oldest Palestinian University, Bir Zeit, and working on her master’s degree in Middle Eastern politics.

From the Palestinian Territories, Leone will move to the Negev Desert and begin Hebrew classes at Ben Gurion University. While at Ben Gurion, she will be studying in the conflict resolution and peace studies department of BGU, as well as completing her outside research by analyzing Israeli public opinion toward the peace process.

When she returns to the U.S., Leone will complete an NSEP service requirement in the State Department, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security or the Intelligence Community in order to help her better identify which government agency best suits her.

At UA, Leone majored in political science.