Kirkwood High School Student to Travel to Morocco to Participate in U.S. Department of State's National Security Language Initiative for Youth Program

Kirkwood High School student Alec Gates is a recipient of a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI‐Y) scholarship, which will allow him to study Arabic this summer in Morocco. He was one of 440 students selected from thousands of high school applicants across the United States to receive a NSLI‐Y scholarship. 

While in Morocco, Alec 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.

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. 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.