UM Senior Wins Boren Scholarship for Swahili Study in Africa

A University of Miami senior just opened the door to his dream career in national security with a scholarship that will take him halfway around the world.

Kieran Nardi-White, who graduates this semester with a major in criminology, earned a Boren Scholarship to study Swahili in Tanzania. He's the first UM student to win the prestigious award since 2018.

The scholarship provides up to $25,000 for students to study languages and regions critical to U.S. national security. Recipients commit to working in federal service for at least one year after graduation.

For Nardi-White, that requirement perfectly matches his goals. An internship with the U.S. Department of Defense already solidified his plans for a career in intelligence and national security.

"For the career I'm planning in intelligence and national security, having language skills is obviously a huge benefit," he said.

His path to this moment started in rural Virginia, where his parents raised him and his sister on a farmhouse near Charlottesville. But their quiet childhood was filled with stories of adventure.

Nardi-White's mother served in the Peace Corps in Botswana and did development work in Uganda. His father worked stints in Eastern Europe. Those experiences sparked something in both children.

"I got that adventurous side from my parents," Nardi-White said. "We had so much exposure through their stories, and we traveled a ton growing up."

The family journeyed throughout Europe and to Senegal. Those trips planted seeds that grew into Nardi-White's passion for foreign affairs and political science.

He spent his junior year studying abroad in Denmark and Spain, continuing to build the international experience he'll need for his future work.

Why This Inspires

Nardi-White's journey shows how childhood experiences shape our dreams in unexpected ways. His parents didn't just tell stories about their international service. They showed their children that understanding other cultures matters.

Now he'll spend two months this summer in intensive language training in Gainesville, Florida. In August, he heads to Tanzania for a full semester of advanced Swahili studies.

The scholarship does more than fund education. It creates pathways for talented young people to serve their country while exploring the world.

From a Virginia farmhouse to the streets of Tanzania, Nardi-White is turning childhood wanderlust into real-world impact.