Anthony Abinanti, a member of the Upper St. Clair High School class of 2016, was recently awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship for 2016-17. Anthony will study Chinese in Taiwan for the year.

Anthony, who has a passion for learning foreign languages and international relations, is one of only approximately 600 competitively selected students from across the United States who will receive a scholarship to study Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, or Turkish overseas this year. While in Taiwan, Anthony will receive formal instruction and informal language practice in an immersion environment.

This marks the third opportunity for Anthony to participate in an international immersion experience. He earned a similar NSLI-Y scholarship last year to study in Xiamen, China during the summer of 2015. During the summer of 2014, Anthony spent one month in Salamanca, Spain through a Spanish scholarship with the Oxbridge Academic Programs.

The NSLI-Y program seeks to increase the number of Americans who can engage with native speakers of critical languages. 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 and cross-cultural opportunities in the private, academic, and government sectors.

NSLI-Y is administered by American Councils for International Education in cooperation with AFS-USA, American Cultural Exchange Service, AMIDEAST, iEARN-USA, Legacy International, Russian American Foundation, Stony Brook University, the University of Delaware, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Wisconsin.

Applications for 2017-18 NSLI-Y programs are expected to be available at www.nsliforyouth.org in the early fall. For information about U.S. Department of State-sponsored exchange programs visit exchanges.state.gov.