About the Author: Meghann Curtis serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

This month, the State Department welcomes 630 recipients of the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for pre-departure orientations in Washington, D.C. These American undergraduate and graduate students will spend their summers in one of 14 countries studying the languages spoken there: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, and Urdu. This year’s CLS students hail from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. They come from over 250 public and private colleges and universities across the United States and study everything from literature to engineering to economics. 

After a summer of intensive language study and cultural immersion, CLS students emerge as masters… more »

About the Author: Lee Satterfield serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Professional and Cultural Exchanges in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Touring a city with a group of students, parents, siblings, and teachers could be conceived as a relatively ordinary experience, except that I was touring the Forbidden City with American high school students studying abroad in China on the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program. The parents and siblings were members of their Chinese host families and the teachers are from their international high school, Beijing 80, known for its excellent academics and offering a unique cultural experience for its 3,000 students. The American students, who represent all corners of the United States, are perfecting their Mandarin skills, taking advantage of after school activities, living with host families, and learning about China’s… more »

About the Author: Suzanne Philion serves as Senior Advisor for Innovation in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

It’s not every day that the State Department gets to go back to school.

Last week, we partnered with Chicago Public Schools to link Lincoln Park High School students with secondary school students in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Algeria, and Peru via video conferencing technology. Students engaged in a range of human rights-related topics in anticipation of the 12th World Summit of Nobel Laureates, taking place in Chicago from April 23-25, 2012. Juniors and seniors from Lincoln Park High School connected with English-speaking youth brought together by our U.S. Embassies in Accra, Harare, Algiers, and Lima.

These incredible students from three continents discussed a wide range of issues candidly and respectfully. They touched on serious political issues, including women’s rights, education, the Arab Spring, human rights, and access to medicine. Students also connected… more »

About the Author: Alberto Rodriguez serves as Spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Over 35 students and their parents gathered April 17, 2011, at the National Library to kick off their pre-departure orientation for the U.S. government funded 2010-11 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program. This is the ninth group of YES students from Pakistan to go to the United States. This orientation program, which is organized by the iEARN Society for International Education, plays a key role in preparing students with the required skills, attitude, and knowledge to spend a successful year in the United States.

“I am excited to see these outstanding students go to the United States,” said Cultural Attache Brent Beemer. “They will be studying in U.S. schools, living with American families, and becoming part… more »