By Nicole Thomas
In the second month of her senior year of high school, Cecilia Heard is buried in her calculus book and the study of mathematical change. But calculus isn’t the only subject Cecilia enjoys. Fluent in English and Spanish, Cecilia recently returned from an intense eight-week study abroad of Chinese.
“I lived in Ecuador when I was in middle school, and I developed a love for different languages and cultures,” Cecilia said of her desire to study in a different country.
Cecilia was awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State and provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students to learn less commonly-taught languages.
Cecilia, who plans to pursue a degree in international business in college, chose to study Chinese, which is one of the seven critical languages, in the world.
Launched in 2006, NSLI-Y immerses students in the language and culture of the country by providing formal instruction and informal language practice.
“It’s a lot more than reading, writing and speaking,” Cecilia said of the program. “During our talent show, I dressed as a Chinese pop singer and sang a song in Chinese. As the only student from Mississippi, I also shared southern experiences with my fellow students in Chinese.”
Cecilia, who lived in Kentucky for a year before starting school at SHS as a sophomore, says her study of Advanced Placement European History under Ty Adair at SHS prepared her for the learning experience in China.
“When my family first returned to the United States, I really struggled because I missed my life in Ecuador,” Cecilia added. “Then the first day of AP Euro, Coach Adar opens a whole new world of learning. He immerses you in his class and takes you on an exploration of Europe. It was challenging but also so exciting to learn at that level as a high school student. It just really helped me to be more adaptable between cultures.”