Nguyen awarded National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship
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Westborough – Ryan Nguyen, a rising senior at Westborough High School, will be studying Arabic in Morocco this summer after being awarded a prestigious, competitive scholarship from the U.S. Department of State.
Nguyen was one of approximately 660 students selected out of 3,300 applicants to be awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship. NSLI-Y is a program administered through the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
While in Morocco, Nguyen will receive formal language instruction, live with a host family, and experience the local culture as part of an immersion environment.
“I am very excited for this amazing opportunity and can’t wait to begin!” he said prior to his departure to Morocco.
When at home, he is a member of the Imperial Lion Dance in Worcester, and an active member of Westborough Cultural Council and the Youth Commission. He is the founder and president of the Students Together Assisting Refugees (STAR) with the intention to establish this organization during his senior year in high school.
NSLI-Y is part of a multi-agency U.S. government initiative launched in 2006 to improve Americans’ ability to communicate in select critical languages, to advance international dialogue, and increase American economic global 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 academic, leadership, and cross-cultural communication skills. The program is administered by American Councils for International Education in cooperation with AFS-USA, American Cultural Exchange Service, AMIDEAST, iEARN-USA, the Russian American Foundation, Stony Brook University, the University of Delaware, and the University of Wisconsin. For more information visit exchanges.state.gov/highschool.
