Honors delegate focuses on improving the livelihood of underdeveloped countries

In a world currently riddled with economic crisis, nations have concentrated on stabilizing their own fiscal flux. One bold scholar is motivated to shift the efforts to aid a region torn apart with economic, political, and social issues — the Middle East. Meagan Bean's concern for other nations came to life as she began her courses during her freshman year at Florida State University.

"I had a huge curiosity about the Middle East, so I starting reading and researching on my own," Bean said, "and when I took Middle Eastern History my first semester, I just loved it."

From then on she seized every opportunity to gain more knowledge, pursuing a major in Middle Eastern studies with a focus in history while taking up a second major in international affairs with concentrations in political science and economics.

Zeina Schlenoff, a professor of Arabic in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, described Bean as "disciplined, determined and highly motivated."