Portland Student Receives U.S. Department of State NSLI-Y Scholarship

Akili Kelekele, a freshman at Lincoln High School in Portland, Ore., has been awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship for 2016-17. Akili will study Arabic in Jordan for the summer.

Akili is one of only approximately 600 competitively selected students from across the United States who will receive a scholarship to study Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, or Turkish overseas this year. While in Jordan, Akili will receive formal instruction and informal language practice in an immersion environment.

Kelekele, who serves as LHS freshman class president, is active in basketball, Lincoln’s school redesign team, and the Black Student Union.  He was also recently selected for Lincoln’s Constitution Team, which frequently wins national competitive honors. A prospective International Baccalaureate scholar, Kelekele hopes to one day practice international law.