STARTALK is a federal grant program that is funded by the National Security Agency and administered by the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland. The program focuses on eight ‘critical languages’ including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, Turkish, and Urdu. Their goal is to increase the number of students studying these languages and the number of teachers who can teach these languages, as well as increase the amount of materials and curriculum for students and teachers
Juhi Deolankar is a Urologist and Resident Physician. She has a passion for global health and is fluent in English, Hindi, and Marathi. She believes in the importance of learning foreign languages.
Universities, school districts, libraries, nonprofits, community schools, and other organizations are all eligibility to apply for funding from STARTALK. Students can enrol in summer language learning experiences, and teachers can also enrol in development experiences.