West High senior Timothy Yu can speak some Chinese.

However, he wanted to learn more, and he got that chance this summer as he spent six weeks in China studying the language as part of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth Scholarships through the U.S. State Department.

"For me, the best way to learn Chinese is immersion," said Yu, 17.

After a process he compared to applying for college, Yu left in July for China. He spent the first four weeks in Zhengzhou in the eastern part of the country, staying with a host family and attending a local school. He spent the last two weeks touring Shanghai and the capital of Beijing before returning before classes at West High began.

"Surprisingly, my Chinese improved the most on the outside," Yu said. "I came up with words I didn't know I knew."

He said he plans to take more Chinese courses at the University of Iowa next spring to improve his reading and writing.

At West High, Yu is the publicity chairman for the student senate and is involved with the international affairs club, Young Republicans and the tennis team. After graduation in May 2012, he said he hopes to study economics at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., where he spent a week in June as part of the school's Summer Leaders Seminar.