Student in front of wall of pictures.

Grace

Grace slowly fell in love with the Chinese language and culture after her parents enrolled her in the Chinese immersion program at Madison Elementary School in first grade.  Afterwards, she continued taking language classes at St. Cloud State University and Winona State University during high school. She currently plans on majoring in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and potentially marketing or political science. Grace aspires to use her language abilities in the future, either working at an American company conducting business in China or at the American Embassy in China.

Student outside facing camera.

Joli

Joli, who was adopted from China, began studying Chinese to connect with her cultural heritage.  She plans on majoring in International Business and Supply Chain Operations with a minor in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.  She plans on using Chinese as part of her career, citing that bilingualism is advantageous in business fields, especially with Chinese being the most spoken language in the world. She further hopes to contribute to maintaining healthy US-China relations. 

Student facing camera smiling

Samantha

Samantha grew increasingly interested in learning about Chinese language and culture as she progressed from lower to middle school.  Ultimately, in 8th grade she was presented the opportunity to travel to China and live with a host family in 8th grade, an eye-opening experience. Samantha currently plans on majoring in Marketing, hoping to combine her love of the Chinese language with marketing in hopes of making the world a better place. 

Student outside by tree in University of Minnesota hoodie

Thomas

Thomas began his Chinese language and culture studies in order to receive a global education. Through Hopkins’ Xinxing Academy, he was able to stay with a host family in Beijing and Shanghai while attending the Academy’s sister school. This stands out amongst his wealth of academic and cultural experiences in motivating him to continue his language studies at the University level. He currently plans on majoring in Mathematics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and in the future apply his language abilities and cultural knowledge to an international career as an actuary or in international finance.