Four Township Teens to be Sent Abroad by U.S. State Department

Four high school students living in Millburn-Short Hills have been selected for study abroad through programs run by the U.S. Department of State. The students chosen are Millburn High seniors Audrey Yan, Anand Tyagi and Hanna Hall. Also selected is Alisa Chokshi who attends Pingry. “Competition is fierce for the limited number of spots in these programs,” according to Sue Fershing, the NJ Coordinator for AFS intercultural programs which administers candidate selection in this region. “Sending four students from one town is very unusual and is a feather in the cap for Millburn-Short Hills and for the schools: Millburn High and Pingry.”

The three different programs the students will attend are just some of the international scholarships provided by the State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA), which pays essentially all expenses. Since students can apply as early as ninth grade, the programs not only provide high school credit but can also give students an excellent advantage in college admissions and career preparation. Interested students and parents are urged to look at the State Department’s relevant website to learn more.

Anand Tyagi will spend seven weeks this summer in South Korea learning the Korean language through the State Department program called National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y). This program provides intensive instruction for either a summer or a full year in languages considered vital to the US national security, specifically Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian and Turkish. NSLI-Y’s mission is to “develop a cadre of Americans with advanced linguistic skills and related cultural understanding”. To be eligible for NSLI-Y, applicants must be a US citizens, high school students at the time of application and aged 15 – 18 at the start of the program. Mr. Tyagi says his purpose in learning Korean is to be able to work directly with engineers in that country. “I am the student who has to be kicked out of the high school robotics lab by the custodian late on Friday night,” Anand shared. “Being able to collaborate with my counterparts in Korea in their own language will boost my ability to contribute to future advances in robotics and artificial intelligence.”

Alisa Chokshi of Pingry was also selected for NSLI-Y. She will be traveling to China for the summer to learn Mandarin. Ms. Chokshi explained: “This scholarship to China is the start of a long career in which I will use my knowledge of China, the Chinese language and culture to the benefit of both of our nations.” She credits her language teachers at Pingry with fostering her love of languages. Alisa recently shared that “the application process was grueling and included a finalist round of in-person interviews but it all worked out and I can’t wait to get started on this program”.

Audrey Yan will spend 10 months in Germany through the CBYX program, also known as Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange. She is one of about 250 American teenagers who will attend German high school while living with carefully selected families in Germany. CBYX focuses on giving students perspectives on politics in the Bundestag, the German equivalent of our Congress. It will immerse Audrey in the German culture. To be considered eligible for a CBYX scholarship, the applicant must be a US citizen, national or permanent resident and a high school student who is between the ages of 15 and 18 1/2 at the start of the program. “As an aspiring polyglot and someone who loves learning about foreign cultures, I am thrilled and extremely honored to receive this scholarship,” Yan said. She added that she “ can’t wait to experience and form the cross cultural connections that have made this program so successful throughout the past 50 years”.

Hanna Hall will live for nine months with a family in Rabat, Morocco while attending a French-medium high school under the State Department program called YES Abroad, also known as the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad. Each year YES Abroad sends 65 American teenagers for a year of high school in a predominantly Muslim country. Living with a local family, YES Abroad students promote mutual understanding between the United States and the host country by forming lasting relationships with the local community. This year YES Abroad will send American teens to Bosnia, Bulgaria, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Macedonia, Malaysia, Morocco, The Philippines, Senegal and Thailand. To be eligible, applicants must be US citizens who are in high school and are aged 15 to 18 at the start of the program. When asked about her motivation to participate in this program, Ms. Hall smiled and said, “Maroc a tout prix.” Elaborating, Hanna said, “I will never again have a chance to be a high school student in Morocco. It is an opportunity for a unique cross-cultural experience. As a youth ambassador, I hope to use this program to increase understanding, peace and love between Muslim countries and America.” She is grateful for this experience and realizes that Morocco is a bridge between many cultures. She states that “it will be an interesting experience to see the world from a different perspective.”

Photo (L TO R) : Hanna Hall, Audrey Yan and Anand Tyagi