Buffalo Grove Student To Study Mandarin Chinese On Scholarship

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — Learning language and culture are very important to Madailein O'Brien. That's why recent news that the Stevenson High School senior and Buffalo Grove resident was awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth Virtual Summer Intensive scholarship to study Chinese (Mandarin) was especially satisfying.

"I was super excited when I found out I got selected. I called my family and a couple of my friends right away as soon as I got the notification," O'Brien told Patch. "I’m extremely honored to be part of the NSLI program."

The program, which lasts six weeks, is part of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that promotes critical language learning among American youth, according to a news release. The 2021 Virtual Summer Intensive program is as an online alternative for NSLI-Y immersion programs that could not take place overseas due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

O'Brien, competitively selected from approximately 2,500 applicants from across the United States, is one of over 500 students who will study Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian, Russian, or Turkish this summer as part of the virtual exchange.

"I intend to continue to study Chinese throughout college, and study abroad to one day travel or work in a Mandarin-speaking country," O'Brien said.

The NSLI-Y Virtual Summer Intensive program provides "robust language and cultural learning opportunities" by virtually connecting the participants with overseas teachers, international peers, cultural organizations, and communities where the target language is spoken, according to the news release.

For O'Brien, she is eagerly awaiting the start of the program and is busy planning her next academic steps.

"I’m beginning to apply to colleges this fall," O'Brien said. "I am hoping to continue my studies in Chinese combined with a degree in international social work."

Applications for 2022-23 NSLI-Y programs will be available at www.nsliforyouth.org in the late summer.

The U.S. Department of State provides study abroad opportunities for over 1,000 American high school students and approximately 3,000 international high school students each year. Visit https://exchanges.state.gov/hi... to learn more.

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