McKinney student to travel to South Korea to participate in U.S. Department of State's National Security Language Initiative for Youth Program
McKinney, Texas -- Vedika Chamaria of McKinney, Texas, will study Korean this summer in South Korea 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.
Vedika was one of 440 students selected from thousands of high school applicants across the United States to receive a NSLI-Y scholarship. While in South Korea, Vedika will live with a host family, immerse in the local culture and host community, and engage with local peers to enhance language learning, and represent American culture as a citizen ambassador.
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 contribute to U.S national security and economic competitiveness.
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 cross-cultural communication and leadership skills.
NSLI-Y is administered by American Councils for International Education in cooperation with AFS-USA, American Cultural Exchange Service, Amideast, iEARN-USA, Stony Brook University, and the University of Delaware.
Applications for NSLI-Y programs are available at www.nsliforyouth.org each fall.
The U.S. Department of State provides additional study abroad opportunities for both American and international high school students. Americans can welcome a new language and culture into their home by hosting an international exchange student, which is a life-changing experience for students, host families, schools, and communities.
