The India Center is part of the , and is a preeminent location for the study of India’s role in the world today. The center partners with the Indian American Chamber of Commerce, the Indian American Business Association and Chamber and numerous educational institutions, and through its resources and connections, helps faculty members further their work as it relates to India.

For Ghosh, the center gave her a platform to host a virtual Q&A, co-sponsored by the department of English, with the International Booker Prize recipients: author Geetanjali Shree and the American translator of the book, Daisy Rockwell. The center also helped promote the event to the broader Indian community in Central Florida and beyond, generating an impressive turnout. The center also provided resources for “10,000 Memories,” an in-person Q&A hosted by Ghosh with Guneeta Bhalla, founder of the 1947 Partition Archive that documents, shares and preserves oral histories of Partition witnesses. The event was widely attended by students and broader community members last month to learn more about the partition of India, which refers to the end of Britain’s rule over the subcontinent and it being divided into two independent nation states, India and Pakistan, which led to mass human migration and violence.

“I’m very happy to be in a space where my work connects to this center and gets connected to the greater community in an exciting and dynamic way,” Ghosh says.

The center partners with faculty across disciplines, including engineering, film, history, hospitality and philosophy. Students can take various courses on South Asian culture, history and politics, and gearing up for launch in the coming years is an Indian studies certificate where students can learn about India’s rising global prominence.

“The U.S. government for the last several years has really emphasized the importance of India,” says Leila Chacko, director of public affairs for the India Center, noting in 2010 the two countries established the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue with a focus on the environment, global security, technology and trade.

“The political relationship is important, but India is really moving ahead with tech and the U.S. can learn a lot from how advanced India is,” Chacko says.

The center also forges global relationships with academic institutions to create educational opportunities for students. Thanks to an agreement with the Vellore Institute of Technology in India, for instance, students needing computer engineering, computer science or math credits can complete their requirements abroad through a semester-long exchange program. The agreement is the first UCF-sponsored study abroad program to India, Chacko says.

Yet, for those who stay local, the center has numerous resources to immerse in Indian culture, history, politics and technology. In January, for India’s Republic Day, the Consul General of India in Atlanta, Swati Kulkarni, donated more than 200 books to the center that span Indian art, cooking, history, language, politics, religion and even yoga. Her donation makes the India Center the first of its kind in the southeast with such a collection, says Chacko, who adds the books are available to borrow from the center.

“The idea for this center began among local community members, who still support our work today,” says Chacko. “We work hard to establish the center as the preeminent location in the country to study India’s place in the world today. We envision UCF as the place where community members, organizations and others can all come together; we can be their unifier.”

For more information on the India Center, see here: .

This year’s recipients are Rachael Rothstein-Safra ’17, a history major and staff member for the UCF Community Veterans History Project; Karla Aurazo, a political science and international relations double major; and Caleb Archie, an international and global studies major. All three worked with the Burnett Honors College and the Office of Prestigious Awards to apply for the fellowships.

Boren Fellowships provide funding up to $24,000 for immersive study of the language and culture of countries deemed critical to U.S. national security. In return, Fellows agree to complete a service requirement with the federal government. An initiative of the National Security Education Program, Boren Awards funds a broad spectrum of study that encompasses global challenges such as environmental and sustainability measures, economic practices, and even historical-culture analysis.

A Historical Approach to Political Rhetoric in Beijing

Rothstein-Safra used her undergraduate thesis as a jumping-off point for her Boren application. Her thesis was on medieval Chinese literature, and she is looking forward to honing her research skills and studying intensive Mandarin for a year at Tsinghua şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą in Beijing, China.

“As a historian, it is essential to understand the nuances of a language … so that you may then understand the society,” Rothstein-Safra says.

History is not a common field of study for a Boren recipient, but Rothstein-Safra explains the ties between historical analysis and national security by stressing the importance of studying historic political trends. “A lot of the current political rhetoric of the Communist Party of China draws on historical Chinese ideas and phrases,” Rothstein-Safra says. “It is key to understanding how they portray themselves to their people and the global arena.”

A self-described nontraditional student, Rothstein-Safra took a different path to UCF. Dropping out of high school in 11^łŮłóĚýgrade, she attended Seminole State College before transferring to UCF. At Tsinghua şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą, she will design her own program of study, and credits working with the Burnett Honors College, the Office of Prestigious Awards, and her mentors in the history department for helping her to become a Boren Fellow.

Upon returning next summer, Rothstein-Safra plans to pursue a master’s degree in history at UCF.

Studying Russian in Kazakhstan

Currently a Francis Bok Human Trafficking Awareness Fellow for UCF Global Perspectives, senior Aurazo channeled her knowledge about human trafficking and the issue of language barriers into a desire to learn Russian through a Boren Fellowship. As UCF’s first student to study abroad in Kazakhstan, Aurazo custom-tailored a program for her studies at Kimep şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Aurazo describes the country as a sociological and geographic portal between Russia and China, causing it to be of great interest to the United States.

“Given that Kazakhstan is rich in resources and that they have been an ally in combatting terrorism,” says Aurazo, “I think we should continue working towards consistent cooperation with them.”

In the future, Aurazo aspires to work as a U.S. foreign officer. “I believe in … serving with my neighbor, and I find joy in doing so,” she says. “I believe in building bridges, not walls, across cultures and beliefs.”

Learning Mandarin in Chengdu, China

Archie will explore the developing financial hub of Chengdu, China. He chose Chengdu, a city more than 1,000 miles west of Shanghai in the Sichuan province, because he wanted to study in a place where English is not a common secondary language, as that would motivate him to learn through cultural immersion.

Archie’s interest in China developed last summer during an internship with the U.S. Department of Energy where he explored nuclear cooperation with global partners. At Chengdu şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą, Archie plans to study advanced Mandarin, modern politics and Chinese governmental relations.

In the future, Archie also plans to work as a U.S. foreign officer and is grateful for the opportunities that a Boren Fellowship offers.

“It’s not just wanting to have American influence and regional security in a country, but it is about helping those people, by supporting them and their culture,” Archie says.

If you are a student participating in or applying to a graduate degree program in the U.S. and are interested in applying for a Boren Fellowship, please contact the Office of Prestigious Awards at opa@ucf.edu.

She was inspired by the officers she shadowed there and she brought back an expanded skill set to UCF. These skills soon came in handy as a resident assistant managing campus shelters during the 2004 hurricane season.

Sara’s RA experience on the heels of her internship created an a-ha moment: She realized her strengths and interests perfectly matched the job of  Foreign Service Officer, a diplomat who serves U.S. citizens abroad.

She soon won a Rangel Fellowship with the Department of State, which covered her master’s degree, an internship with Congress, an additional Foreign Service internship and her commissioning as a Foreign Service Officer in 2008. Since that time she has served in Luanda, Angola; Brasilia, Brazil; and London, United Kingdom.

Sara feels fortunate to work in such an important field and has created a scholarship to support students who wish to study abroad or pursue a career in international relations.  She wants to help others make a difference in a world where international relations are increasingly difficult.

“Focusing a scholarship in international relations within The Burnett Honors College is the best way that I can contribute to the educational experience of young, smart, future leaders who will shake the world with the ripples of their individual actions,” she said.

To contribute to scholarships in The Burnett Honors College, please visit .

Finel’s presentation, “Are We Winning? Measuring Progress in the Struggle Against Terrorism,” will begin at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, in the Key West Ballroom of the Student Union. The event is free and open to the public.

Finel is an associate professor of national security strategy at the U.S. National War College and an adjunct fellow at the American Security Project, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C.

He is the lead author of the ASP’s annual report, “Are We Winning? Measuring Progress in the Struggle against Violent Jihadism.” Finel previously served as a senior fellow at the ASP, where he focused on counter-terrorism and defense policy.

Finel was a professor of military strategy and operations at the U.S. National War College from 2004 to 2006. From 1994 to 2004, he held various positions at Georgetown şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą, most notably executive director of the security studies program and Center for Peace and Security Studies.

Sponsors of Finel’s presentation include the UCF Global Perspectives Office, The Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship program, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, LarsonAllen LLP, the UCF Global Peace and Security Studies Program, the UCF Diplomacy Program, the UCF Political Science Department, the UCF Middle Eastern Studies Program, the UCF Terrorism Studies Program, the UCF International Services Center, UCF LIFE and the Global Connections Foundation.

To learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit or follow the office on Twitter at .