Melissa Sutter
Melissa Sutter was selected as FGCU's first David L. Boren Scholarship for Japan (2019-2020). Melissa joins 217 other recipients from a pool of 784 applicants. The Honors College alumna majored in Civil Engineering and is from Melbourne, FL. Melissa is a bold candidate who broke the mold in high school as a member of the Boy Scouts and aspires to work in blast analysis for the Department of Defense.
Melissa has received admission to a Ph.D. program at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
How did your mentor encourage and foster your research and academic trajectory?
My mentors Dr. Dhumal and Dr. Boucher have been amazing throughout the time that I have known them and I definitely would not have been a Boren recipient much less a strong competitor without their help. Dr. Dhumal helped me tremendously throughout the past year by improving my confidence in my knowledge as I served as a Teaching Assistant. The confidence that I was able to gain not only helped me apply for this fellowship but will be part of the foundation in which I continue to grow.
What does the OCF mean to you?
The Office of Competitive Fellowships made me realize how many opportunities there are and that they can always become a reality with some determination and support. The support given by the Office of Competitive Fellowships is unparalleled in any other part of FGCU I have seen and helps dreams become reality.
What is the David L. Boren Scholarship?
The undergraduate Boren Scholarship and the graduate Boren Fellowship provide unique funding opportunities to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. national security. The Boren Scholarship is supported by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office, an office within the Department of Defense.
