Samuel Araujo, a senior in engineering management at Missouri S&T, will spend the summer studying Russian through Indiana University after winning a Project GO scholarship.

Araujo, a member of the Air Force ROTC from Florissant, Missouri, began studying Russian at S&T in 2017. In 2019, the American Council of Teachers of Russian presented him with the Post-Secondary Russian Scholar Laureate Award. This is the second time that he has received a Project GO scholarship. Three other S&T students have received Project GO scholarships in the past: Nathan Czuba in 2012, Stephanie Speer in 2016 and Kyle Johnson in 2020.

“Sam’s strong analytical skills, combined with a pure intellectual curiosity, make him highly suited for the academic community,” says Dr. Irina Ivliyeva, professor of Russian at Missouri S&T. “Sam is a mature, goal-oriented individual. His natural leadership abilities, inner discipline, as well as the combination of his attention to detail, his enthusiasm for learning and interest in other cultures, has always been a great asset in the classroom, and beyond.”

Project GO (“Global Officer”) was created by the Department of Defense in 2007 and has since provided over five thousand scholarships to ROTC students. The goal of the program is to educate future military officers in strategically important languages. Scholarships are awarded based on merit, with academic performance, language experience and leadership among the criteria.

There are currently Project GO programs in 12 languages offered by 22 universities. Scholarships cover tuition and fees, as well as room and board. Due to the pandemic most programs have been converted to online only; these students will receive a small stipend for living expenses. Interested students can find more information at rotcprojectgo.org.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Founded in 1870 as the University of Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,600 students and part of the four-campus University of Missouri System. Located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 99 different degree programs in 40 areas of study, including engineering, the sciences, business and information technology, education, the humanities, and the liberal arts. Missouri S&T is known globally and is highly ranked for providing a strong return on tuition investment, exceptional career opportunities for graduates, and an emphasis on applied, hands-on learning through student design teams and cooperative education and internship opportunities. Missouri S&T is the top public engineering university of 2021 as ranked by College Factual. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.