Prince William County Public Schools

Hylton High School Russian student, Aisha Knotts, has been accepted into the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Russian Virtual Summer Intensive (VSI) program. Aisha's acceptance is a prestigious accomplishment. It demonstrates her commitment and continued dedication to intensive language and cultural studies. She is also president of the Russian club, fluent in Arabic, and a student of Ms. Elena Marshall.

"The U.S. Department of State's NSLI-Y is part of a U.S. government initiative to foster international cooperation by ensuring that Americans have the necessary linguistic skills and cultural knowledge to effectively communicate globally. NSLI-Y provides overseas critical language study opportunities to American youth through merit-based scholarships to spark a lifetime interest in critical foreign languages and cultures." (NSLI-Y website)

"Participants study Russian language and culture and then participate in activities that promote application of language skills and knowledge gained in class. Participants improve their language skills and cultural knowledge, by gaining an understanding and appreciation for a new way of life. Participants immerse themselves in the language and cultural experience.They also demonstrate open-mindedness, flexibility, and initiative in negotiating the cross-cultural environment, as well as to navigate the challenges inherent to any cross-cultural experience, including conditions and circumstances significantly different from those in the U.S."(Russian Foundation - NSLI-Y)

Aisha Knotts, Russian student of Ms. Elena Marshall, Hylton High School