Baker School Student Elan Fleetwood Awarded Prestigious Boren Fellowship to Study Vietnamese
Knoxville, TN (May 15, 2025) – Elan Fleetwood, a current graduate student at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs (Baker School) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been awarded the 2025 David L. Boren Fellowship by the National Security Education Program (NSEP). Fleetwood will study Vietnamese through the Southeast Asian Flagship Languages Initiative (SEAFLI), a program designed to develop critical language skills in areas vital to U.S. national security.
Fleetwood earned her undergraduate degree from Coastal Carolina University, where she double majored in Business Management and Hospitality and Resort Tourism Management. She is currently a second-year master’s student concentrating in global security and diplomacy. After spending a year abroad in Vietnam, she will return to the Baker School to complete her Master of Public Policy degree.
“I was inspired to apply for the Boren Fellowship because it aligns perfectly with my long-term goal of working for the defense community,” Fleetwood says. “This fellowship serves not only as a professional milestone but a rare opportunity to connect with the part of my identity and family in a way I have never been afforded before.”
Fleetwood will begin the immersive SEAFLI program this summer. The experience will provide intensive language instruction and cultural immersion, key components of the Boren Fellowship’s mission to help the United States better understand the needs and perspectives of other nations. The opportunity holds personal significance for Fleetwood, whose mother and maternal relatives immigrated to the United States from Vietnam. Following the immersive, she will spend the next academic year in Vietnam. Fleetwood intends to bring back her regional expertise to support her research with Dr. Krista Wiegand, director of the Center for National Security and Foreign Affairs (NSFA).
“It’s an incredible experience for Elan to study the Vietnamese language and learn about the culture, history, and politics in-country,” Weigand said. “With these language skills, she’ll be able to read Vietnamese sources for her own research.”
She plans to use the language and cultural skills she gains abroad to contribute to U.S. national security and international affairs. “Vietnamese language proficiency will allow me to conduct research, analyze regional media, and build stronger relationships with local partners—skills that are crucial to work in security, defense, and intelligence,” Fleetwood explains. She aims to work in federal agencies or policy offices where her expertise can inform and strengthen U.S. policymaking in Southeast Asia.
About the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs
The Baker School is the first and only school of its kind at any public university in Tennessee, and its mission is to graduate skilled public problem solvers, grounded in the legacy of Howard H. Baker, Jr., and prepared to take leadership roles in their communities.