BYU student will study in Japan on Boren Scholarship

BYU's Michael Swain will spend 10 months in Japan.
BYU's Michael Swain will spend 10 months in Japan. | File photo

BYU sophomore Michael Swain has been awarded a Boren Scholarship that will allow him to travel to Japan during the 2016-17 academic year to study language. 

Swain is a Las Vegas native majoring in Information Systems while focusing on cybersecurity.

"The urgent need for cybersecurity expertise in Japan and elsewhere presents an opportunity for my generation who grew up with technology," Swain, who will study Foreign Language at ECC Kokusai College for 10 months, said. 

The Boren Scholarships and Fellowships provide students from the U.S. with the resources needed to advance their language skills while experiencing other countries that could play a part in the future of this country’s stability as a nation. The program is sponsored by the National Security Education Program, a federal initiative designed to develop an ensemble of U.S. citizens who are more qualified in foreign language and international skills.

"The National Security Education Program is helping change the U.S. higher education system and the way Americans approach the study of foreign languages and cultures," Michael Nugent, director of the NSEP, said.