Asian Fusion

While attending the NSLI-Y summer language immersion program in Beijing, Lynbrook High School student Jessica Shao visited the Great Wall of China.

Courtesy Rosemary Leonetti/Syntax

Lynbrook High School sophomore Jessica Shao was one of 650 students around the country to be awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth Scholarship (NSLI-Y). The scholarship, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State, enabled Jessica to travel to Beijing, China to study in a six-week summer immersion program in Mandarin language and Chinese culture.

Jessica lived with a Chinese family in Zhuhai, traveling over an hour and a half by public transportation to attend daily classes at the Beijing Normal University. Jessica’s grandparents, who are from China, applied for the program to learn Mandarin, but also to gain a richer understanding of her family’s heritage.

Although she found the long commute to campus the most difficult part of the experience, Jessica said it was also the most rewarding. “I was totally immersed in the language and everyday life,” she said. “Although it was harder at first, I think I had a richer experience than the students who lived on campus.”

The NSLI-Y provides merit scholarships for eligible high school students to learn less commonly taught languages in overseas immersion programs. To qualify, Jessica was required to go though a lengthy application process that included a series of essays and a personal interview. She was one of only 15 students chosen to study in Beijing. At age 15, she was also one of the youngest to be chosen for this incredible opportunity.