Portland, Ore — This summer, Sunaina Arora, a rising senior at St. Mary’s Academy, an all-girls, Catholic high school in Downtown Portland, will study Arabic in Morocco through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI‑Y) scholarship. Of the thousands of students who applied for the scholarship, Sunaina was one of only 540 who were chosen for this highly competitive opportunity. According to Sunaina, “As a girl of Indian heritage, the main thing that drew me to this opportunity was my interest and curiosity of cultures. Visiting my family in India every summer has allowed me to immerse myself in my heritage and learn of Indian traditions.”

This once in a lifetime opportunity is not lost of on the Arora Family – Priya Kapoor, mother of Sunaina and Nayantara, a 2020 graduate of St. Mary’s shared, “She received her first 10-week digital language fellowship for Arabic, from NSLI-Y as a Sophomore, in winter term 2023… Sunaina wants to be a scientist and a doctor but she has a love of languages that she will find a way to use in her college and academic career.” This second scholarship from NSLI-Y will afford Sunaina the opportunity to advance her language skills while contributing to national security related projects. 

Sunaina shared the important role that St. Mary’s Academy (SMA) has played in her ability to take on challenges like this scholarship. “SMA encourages leadership and as a member of Women of Color in Action (WOCA), I realized that there are many ways to contribute to the world. Intercultural leadership through language learning is one such route to establishing leadership. I feel blessed with the opportunities I have received to learn language at every stage of my life and in school. I would like to thank my SMA teachers, especially Ms. Hounton and Ms. Sonn for supporting me in my interest in the sciences, languages and extracurriculars.”

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At St. Mary's Academy, We Believe.
Located in the University District of Portland, OR, St. Mary's Academy is the state's oldest continuously operating school and only all-girls school. Founded in 1859 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, St. Mary's Academy serves over 600 young women in grades 9-12. The school's college acceptance rate is 100% and SMA students achieve, excel, and are recognized locally, regionally and nationally in academic fields, leadership, STEM, the arts, athletics, community service and extra- and co-curricular activities. To learn more, please visit www.stmaryspdx.org