By Cameron Hill

While a lot of us are still adjusting to having classes on Zoom, Noah Frazier has had plenty of experience with Zoom already. This year he joined the inaugural National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Virtual Program. Normally, the NSLI-Y is an immersive program where participants visit other countries and learn a language of their choice (from Chinese to Persian to Russian) where the language is actually spoken. However, this year they have introduced a virtual program where participants from all around the world learn a language of their choice over the internet.

The classes were taught through Zoom and were taught by native speakers and college professors. Classes were held online twice a week and homework, which typically consisted of typing sentences or recording yourself speaking. The program incorporated a platform called Narrative Atlas in which students would upload their work. Noah said that this program was “where all of our resources were posted and where we interacted a lot as a class.” The Russian program which Noah participated in lasted from January to March. At the end of the program each participant completes a Capstone project where they use the skills they have learned to speak in the language they have learned.

Because the program is virtual, students from all over the country participate and the program is a great way to make connections. Noah said that he still is “keeping in touch with people from Washington State, Washington D.C., Texas, New York and a ton of other places, which is really exciting.” Noah also mentioned that while you do have to put in some hard work, there are also a lot of fun moments like when “we all attempted to sing in unison over Zoom, which didn’t work but was still fun.”

The application is on the NSLI-Y website. You will need a recommendation and some essay responses but Noah said he “would totally encourage people to apply next year!” He said doing the virtual program “supported my application for the summer abroad program and led to me being named a finalist this year.” Go ahead and follow Noah’s advice and check out all the information at the NSLI-Y website.