Eastview High School Student Receives Scholarship to Study in China

Katerina Wong, an Eastview High School student, is one of two Minnesotans to have received a prestigious National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship—which will enable her to study in China for a single year.

Wong, a sixteen year-old graduating senior of Eastview High School in Apple Valley, has been enrolled in Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, for the past two years. Katerina is also a National Merit Commended Scholar, and has an interest in combing ancient Chinese herbal techniques with Western medical practices to discover a botanically-based treatment.

Here's what the National Security Language Initiative for Youth had to say in a news release about Katerina:

Katerina Wong, a high school student in Lakeville, MN, has been awarded one of approximately 625 National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarships for 2013-2014. The NSLI-Y program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students to learn less commonly-taught languages in summer and academic-year overseas immersion programs.

NSLI-Y offers overseas study opportunities in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, and Turkish. The NSLI-Y scholarship enables Katerina to study Chinese in China for the year. The scholarship covers all program costs for participants including domestic and international travel; tuition and related academic preparation; language testing; educational and cultural activities focused on language learning; orientations; meals; and accommodations, usually with a host family.

Launched as part of a U.S. government initiative in 2006, NSLI-Y seeks to increase Americans’ capacity to engage with native speakers of critical languages by providing formal instruction and informal language practice in an immersion environment. Educational and cultural activities are designed to promote language learning and build mutual understanding and long-lasting relationships. The goals of the NSLI-Y program include sparking a life-long interest in foreign languages and cultures, and developing a corps of young Americans with the skills necessary to advance international dialogue in the private, academic or government sectors, and build upon the foundations developed through person-to-person relationships while abroad.

Through her participation in the program, Katerina will serve as a citizen diplomat while developing the skills necessary to be a leader in the global community. NSLI-Y is administered by American Councils for International Education in cooperation with AFS-USA, American Cultural Exchange Service, Americans Promoting Study Abroad, AMIDEAST, iEARN-USA, Legacy International, and Russian American Foundation. Applications for 2014-2015 NSLI-Y programs are expected to be available at www.nsliforyouth.org in the early fall.