Summer to prepare for the future – US high school students learn Chinese and think about careers

By Liang Meilan

The summer school holiday, to some students, means learning in a different classroom. This summer, 38 US high school students from Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Houston, New York City, Rochester and Washington DC came to China for five weeks of language studies, cultural exposure and international career development training. They headed home August 5.

“They’re bringing back home not only experience with China’s scenic spots and city life, but also higher Chinese language competence, deeper cultural understanding, rich community service experience and, what’s most important, a clearer orientation of their future careers,” said Ted Dean, chairman of the American Promoting Study Abroad (APSA), a local co-organizer of the program.

Speak better Chinese

APSA is partially funded by the US State Department’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth Program, which gives American high school students the opportunity to learn “less commonly taught languages” in their native land.

Participants are selected based on academic merit, and those bound for China are required to have completed at least a year of Chinese. “They are mostly kids with plans of entering a career connected with the Chinese language,” Dean said.

The China program includes three and a half hours of intensive language training per day. “They are also expected to study outside of class and practice with locals,” Dean said.

Peter Wambwe, 19, a resident of Washington DC, joined APSA’s China summer program in 2008. Because of his intensive Chinese lessons, he is already taking a junior-level Chinese course although still a freshman at Pennsylvania State University.

“Understanding a language is a vital window to understanding a culture,” Wambe said. “Committing to learn a language opens opportunities to a lifetime of intercultural friendships, learning and fun. APSA was my first opportunity and I embraced it.” 

Cultural immersion activities are also important components of the program. “We have calligraphy, kung fu and painting classes,” Dean said. “The afternoons are filled with either culture classes, small team excursions in the city or visits to companies and organizations in the area.”

A major change in this year’s program was the emphasis on using public transportation as much as possible. Dean said this was due to “environmental reasons, to instill a sense of ownership in the experience and to teach important travel skills that will help them feel more competent in unfamiliar cities.”