Silvano Massa, a high school student from West Windsor, will travel to Latvia this summer to study Russian through a prestigious language immersion program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
Massa is one of just 440 students selected nationwide to receive a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship.
The program aims to increase the number of young Americans proficient in critical foreign languages including Russian, Arabic, Chinese, and Korean.
While in Latvia, Massa will live with a host family and engage with local peers as part of a full cultural and linguistic immersion.
The experience is designed to help participants build language skills, develop cross-cultural understanding, and serve as citizen ambassadors abroad.
Launched in 2006, NSLI-Y is part of a broader U.S. government initiative to strengthen national security and economic competitiveness through language education.
Many NSLI-Y alumni go on to pursue careers in diplomacy, national defense, and international business.
NSLI-Y is administered by the American Councils for International Education in partnership with several educational organizations, including AFS-USA, Amideast, and the University of Delaware.
The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Applications for the program open each fall and are available at www.nsliforyouth.org.
In addition to outbound exchanges, the State Department also supports international students studying in the U.S. and encourages American families to host exchange students—a cultural exchange opportunity that benefits entire communities.
