Thurston County grad to travel to South Korea for U.S. Department of State language initiative program

Grace Morgan of Tenino will study the Korean language for eight to 10 months in South Korea on a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI‑Y) scholarship, according to a recent news release from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).

Morgan is a 2025 Rochester High School and Centralia College Running Start graduate. She was class valedictorian at Rochester.

NSLI‑Y, a program of the ECA, promotes the study of critical languages, including Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian and Turkish.

Morgan is one of over 440 students selected from thousands of high school applicants across the United States to receive a NSLI‑Y scholarship. While in South Korea, Morgan will live with a host family, immerse in the local culture and host community, and engage with local peers to enhance language learning and represent American culture as a citizen ambassador, the release stated.

Launched in 2006 as part of a multi-agency U.S. Government initiative, NSLI‑Y increases the number of young Americans with the critical language skills necessary to contribute to U.S. national security and economic competitiveness. Many NSLI‑Y alumni go on to pursue education and careers vital to U.S. national security and credit the program experience with helping them improve their cross-cultural communication and leadership skills, according to the release.

NSLI‑Y is administered by American Councils for International Education in cooperation with AFS‑USA, American Cultural Exchange Service, Amideast, iEARN‑USA, Stony Brook University and the University of Delaware.

Applications for NSLI‑Y programs are available at www.nsliforyouth.org each fall.

The U.S. Department of State provides additional study abroad opportunities for both American and international high school students.