David Jaffe, a junior at Westwood High School, in the International Baccalaureate program, has been awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship for 2016-2017, and will study Korean in South Korea for the summer.
David is one of only approximately 600 competitively selected students from across the United States who will receive a scholarship to study Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, or Turkish overseas this year. While in South Korea, David will receive formal instruction and informal language practice in an immersion environment.
A lifelong Mesa Public Schools student, David has attended Las Sendas Elementary School and Mesa Academy of Advanced Study. He has aspirations to one day enter the field of public service and hold a public office—perhaps president. In addition, he is a member of the Mesa Mayor’s Youth Commission. David also is very active in scouting, community service and other school activities.
The NSLI-Y program
The NSLI-Y program seeks to increase the number of Americans who can engage with native speakers of critical languages. The goals of the NSLI-Y program include sparking a lifelong interest in foreign languages and cultures, and developing a corps of young Americans with the skills necessary to advance international dialogue and cross-cultural opportunities in the private, academic and government sectors.
NSLI-Y is administered by American Councils for International Education. It functions in cooperation with American Field Service-USA, American Cultural Exchange Service, AMIDEAST, iEARN-USA, Legacy International, Russian American Foundation and Stony Brook University. The University of Delaware, the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin also cooperates with the program.
Applications for 2017-2018 NSLI-Y programs are expected to be available at nsliforyouth.org in the early fall. For information about exchange programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, visit www.exchanges.state.gov.