Cole Lewis ’25 felt an immediate kinship with the people of Morocco when he spent last summer in North Africa and yearned for more.
Make that Cole Lewis ’26.
Not just any opportunity would cause the fifth-year senior and Day Student Proctor to defer his final year at Christ School. Cole has accepted a scholarship from the U.S. State Department’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program to rigorously study Arabic for a full academic year in Morocco's capital city of Rabat.
Cole went through a highly competitive application process and was notified of his selection on June 28. He then reached out and received the proper blessings from Dr. Jenkins and his advisor, Dean of Academics Emily Pulsifer P’15, P’17.
Cole expressed sadness in not being able to graduate with his original class. But added that the opportunity to expand his knowledge of the Arabic language and culture were too amazing to pass up.
The NSLI-Y was launched in 2006 by former President George W. Bush with the goals of strengthening national security and expanding intercultural dialogue.
Cole is no stranger to either Morocco or the NSLI-Y, having been part of a smaller scholarship program last summer that lasted 6-10 weeks. He lived with a host family, attended language class 3-4 hours a day, conversed with language partners, and took part in cultural activities and community service.