NSLI-Y Interactive showcases language learning and cross-cultural experiences of students on the U.S. Department of State’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program. The multimedia stories on this site share the experiences of students on the NSLI-Y program with youth, educators, and language learners in the U.S. for further cultural exchange and language learning.

Applications for the NSLI-Y 2025-2026 summer and academic year programs are now open! Apply today!

Hamza, a 2024 NSLI-Y summer Arabic alum, shares how his time in Jordan expanded his view of what it means to be Arab American.

Maren, an alum of the VSI (Hybrid) Russian program at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and the 2024 Russian Summer program in Kazakhstan, shares her NSLI-Y journey.