The goals of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program are not only to improve the language skills of American high school and gap-year students but also to develop a cadre of citizen ambassadors. On January 17, 2018, current NSLI-Y Arabic Academic Year students shared about the religious, linguistic and ethnic diversity of Morocco and how they have contributed to mutual understanding in Morocco. We invite you to watch the recording of this special event.
Click here to watch the speakers discuss fostering mutual understanding in Morocco.
Click here to watch the Q&A.
Introducing the speakers:
Allan
Allan is a gap-year student in Rabat, Morocco studying Modern Standard Arabic with AMIDEAST. He is originally from Burke, Virginia. He will attend Georgetown University in the fall of 2018 to pursue a degree in international relations. Some of his favorite hobbies are playing rugby, watching movies, and spending time with friends. He decided to apply for the NSLI-Y scholarship because of the Arabic language's importance in modern international affairs and to learn more about Islam and the misconceptions surrounding the religion. He hopes you enjoy the presentation!
Leah
Leah is from Baltimore, Maryland, and has been studying Arabic for a year and a half. She started studying Arabic on the NSLI-Y Arabic summer program in Rabat, Morocco, in 2016 and is a current student on the NSLI-Y Arabic year program. Leah began studying Arabic because of the increasing need for Arabic speakers in the United States, specifically within the context of working with refugees. She plans to continue her studies of Arabic and the Middle Eastern at Stanford University starting in the fall of 2018.
Meliha lives in Boise, Idaho but she is originally from Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is a Muslim refugee and she started learning Modern Standard Arabic to read the Qur’an and connect to her heritage. In fact, her first name is Arabic and means “beautiful.” She has really enjoyed her time learning Arabic in Morocco, and she looks forward to sharing her experiences with you!