Study Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, or Turkish through National Security Language Initiative for Youth

Alexander Levin of Santa Monica studied Chinese (Mandarin) for six weeks through a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI‐Y) Virtual summer Intensive scholarship. NSLI‐Y is a program of the

U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) that promotes the study of Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, or Turkish among American youth. The 2022 NSLI-Y Virtual summer Intensive program was a virtual alternative for NSLI-Y immersion programs that could not take place overseas due to unsuitable conditions.

Alexander competed with thousands of applicants from high schools across the United States, and is one of over 100 students to win a scholarship for this virtual exchange. The NSLI‐Y Virtual summer Intensive program provided robust language and cultural learning opportunities by virtually connecting the participants with overseas teachers, international peers, cultural organizations, and communities where the target language is spoken.

Launched in 2006 as part of a multi-agency U.S. Government initiative, NSLI‐Y increases the number of young Americans with the language skills necessary to advance international dialogue, promote economic prosperity and innovation worldwide, and contribute to national security by building understanding across cultures. Many NSLI-Y alumni go on to pursue education and careers vital to U.S. national security and credit the program experience with helping them improve their academic, leadership, and cross-cultural communication skills.

NSLI‐Y is administered by American Councils for International Education in cooperation with AFS‐USA, American Cultural Exchange Service, Amideast, CIEE, iEARN‐USA, Stony Brook University, the University of Delaware, and the University of Wisconsin.

Applications for 2023-24 NSLI‐Y programs will be available at http://www.nsliforyouth.org in September 2022.

The U.S. Department of State provides study abroad opportunities for over 1,000 American high school students and approximately 3,000 international high school students each year. Visit https://exchanges.state.gov/highschool to learn more.