West Liberty High School Junior, Amerie Alvarado, has been selected for the U.S. Department of State's 2023 National Security Language Initiative for Youth Program (NSLI-Y)!
Alvarado will be traveling to Morocco and staying with a host family for 7 weeks this summer. She applied for the NSLI-Y program because it would allow her to travel this summer and still spend her senior year at West Liberty High School. She is "really excited for this summer!"
As part of the program she will receive at least 120 hours of classroom Arabic language instruction. A portion of this instruction will occur online before she travels to Morocco, as Alvarado puts it, "I will do some lessons online before I leave so that I can at least get some basic concepts down and not completely be helpless with Arabic once I get there."
Alvarado is most excited to learn from her host family and the locals, "I want to gain a new perspective on how people approach life and carry out their routines. I'm also excited to go on excursions and learn about Moroccan history," she said.
When asked what advice she has for students interested in applying for NSLI-Y in the future she said, "Have a strong sense of why you really want and deserve to be awarded the scholarship, and articulate that very well in your application so that the selection committee chooses you to advance. Get lots of feedback on your application and if you advance be prepared for your interview. "
This is an amazing opportunity for Amerie, and we are very excited for her! Congratulations Amerie, we can't wait to hear about your summer adventure!