On Monday, October 21 at 8pm ET, NSLI-Y Interactive hosted a Turkish and Persian Alumni Virtual Event! This event featured four alumni speakers from the NSLI-Y Turkish and Persian programs, who presented on why they chose their NSLI-Y languages, what they gained from their program experiences, and what daily life on a NSLI-Y program looks like. The alumni also shared advice they had for prospective students applying for NSLI-Y - don't forget, the application deadline is on October 30! Attendees were able to connect virtually with the speakers and ask them questions during the Q&A.

Watch a recording of the virtual event here!

Meet the speakers:

Elaine studied Persian on the NSLI-Y program in Dushanbe, Elaine HeadshotTajikistan during the summer of 2018. Prior to participating in NSLI-Y, she learned Persian from friends and at the University of Maryland. Her favorite memories from Tajikistan are long conversations with her host mother, preparing for the neighbor’s wedding, and visiting Iskanderkul. Elaine is a second-year student at the University of Chicago and the NSLI-Y Alumni Representative for the Great Lakes — Chicago region, where she conducts outreach and organizes alumni events.

Rayyan Headshot

Rayyan is a 2018 Tajikistan Summer alumnus and is currently a freshman at the University of Florida studying Computer Science and Linguistics. He is also the NSLI-Y Alumni Representative for Florida. His interests include minority languages, Computational Linguistics, and furthering his study of Persian, Turkish, and Urdu.

Sofia is an alumna of the 2019 Turkish summer program. She is Sofia Headshotcurrently a first-year student at The George Washington University with a major in International Affairs and a Four-Year National Scholarship commitment to the Georgetown University Army ROTC Hoya Battalion. She has lived in six different countries throughout her life, and this diplomatic lifestyle inspired her interest in foreign languages. She hopes to expand her Turkish abilities in the future through further study of the language and possible applications to the national defense and security sector.

Tejas headshot

Tejas is a junior at Maggie Walker Governor's School in Richmond, VA. Like other members of this panel, he loves learning languages and is currently building on his Turkish skills from his NSLI-Y summer program and is also studying Russian and French. He loves learning more about politics and government and enjoys watching a show or two in his free time (the Good Place is the best!). He's incredibly grateful for the opportunities NSLI-Y and related programs provide, and is excited to share his experience with all of you!