Brentwood student to travel to Morocco to participate in National Security youth program | Education

Wilmer Sterling of Brentwood will study Arabic this summer in Morocco on a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI‑Y) scholarship. NSLI‑Y, a fully funded State Department program for U.S. highschool students, promotes the study of critical languages including Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean and Russian.

Wilmer is one of more than 280 students selected for the summer 2026 NSLI-Y exchange from thousands of high school applicants across the United States. While in Morocco, Wilmer will live with a host family, immersein the local culture, and study the local language while representing America as a citizen ambassador.

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 careers vital to U.S national security business interests and credit their program experience with developing their cross-cultural communication and leadership skills.

NSLI‑Y is a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administered by American Councils for International Education in cooperation with American Cultural Exchange Service, Amideast, and iEARN‑USA.

Applications for NSLI‑Y programs, including virtual, summer and academic year options, are available at www.nsliforyouth.org.

The U.S. Department of State provides additional opportunities for both American and international high school students including the opportunity to host an international high school exchange student, which is a life-changing experience for students, host families, schools and communities.