Community Announcement: Lexington Student to Travel to Morocco to Participate in U.S. Department of State’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth Program

Jessica Zhang of Lexington, Massachusetts, will study Arabic this summer in Morocco on a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI‐Y) scholarship. NSLI‐Y, a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), promotes the study of Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, or Turkish.

Jessica was one of 540 students selected from thousands of high school applicants across the United States to receive an NSLI‐Y scholarship. While in Morocco, Jessica will live with a host family, immerse in the local culture and host community, and engage with local peers to enhance language learning and build mutual understanding.

Launched in 2006 as part of a multi-agency U.S. Government initiative, NSLI‐Y increases the number of young Americans with the critical language skills necessary to advance international dialogue and promote economic prosperity and innovation worldwide. 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.