Ben Hess

While most students are taking a break from academics over the summer, Seneca Valley sophomore Ben Hess is diving in deep with an international program that is taking him to China.

Ben, 16, of Seven Fields was selected to attend the National Security Language Initiative for Youth, or NSLI-Y, Summer Program run by the U.S. Department of State.

He'll travel to the culturally and historically rich city of Xi'an in central China at the end of June for a six-week stay with a host family while he attends classes at Northwest University's School of International Cultural Exchange.

“While most students will seek summer fun, Ben will be halfway around the world participating in a rigorous cultural experience,” said Debra McDermott, one of Ben's teachers at Seneca Valley Intermediate High School.

The NSLI-Y program aims to increase students' Chinese language proficiency through in-class instruction, cultural presentations and learning from their host families. Students can also go into summer and yearlong programs in Arabic, Hindi, Korean, Russian, Persian and Turkish-speaking countries.

The goal is to develop students who have advanced linguistic skills and cultural understanding who can use their skills to better the world.

Ben has been preparing for his trip by getting first-hand information from students at Seneca Valley who emigrated from China. He has one friend who has helped him a lot with his conversational Chinese and given him tips on what to expect in China.

He's never been abroad before, but learned about the NSLI-Y summer program from a friend who went to South Korea for the summer. Her experience was so great that it inspired Ben to apply.

He's most excited to see the cultural differences between the U.S. and China. He knows societal norms and expectations are going to be different from what he's used to.

“I know that with Americans, we don't hold anything back,” he said. “I'm excited to see the taboos of society and what to watch for.”

On top of hitting up the traditional tourist sites in China, like the Great Wall, Ben hopes to soak in the natural beauty in the area in which he'll be living.

“I think it'd be super exciting just to see the nature in China,” he said. “I know that's not really talked about. I feel like an open door to China, that'd be so interesting.”

Ben said he'd love to do work in public policy in underdeveloped countries after high school and college to “establish an infrastructure there that would allow for growth in politics and safety in their own country,” he said.

His interest in politics and the world around him has grown exponentially recently. Ben credits McDermott, a gifted education teacher at the intermediate high school, with stoking that interest.

McDermott said she began working with Ben this year through a gift enrichment scenario called International Debate and Diplomacy, which is designed to give students the opportunity to delve into current events, crises and issues through research and debate. He's also participated in Model U.N. conferences.

“He is a wonderful young man with an amazing future ahead of him,” McDermott said.

Ben is the son of Ken and Tracey Hess and has an older sister Emily, who is a freshman in college.