Class picture right before we leave.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Conna Walsh
In March of my eighth grade year, I made the best decision of my life - to forgo high school with my life-long friends, and to accept a scholarship to a local private school. Two amazing opportunities immediately presented themselves to me shortly before school started - my new school offered a Chinese language class, as well as a Model United Nations class. I quickly developed a passion for Chinese. Being a visual learner, I felt so at home among the thousands of characters, and I loved the flow of the language. In addition, I learned how important Chinese culture is today.
I think that participating in the NSLI-Y program in China will help me get one step closer to my goal of working in international relations. The language studies, I’m sure, will turn out to be invaluable to my entire Chinese education even through college; the homestay situation and interaction with the local culture will enable me to develop social skills that will assist me in the world of international relations.
Jordan Meier
While I haven’t narrowed down what I would like to do in my future, I know what I am passionate about. I love working with little kids and I am really interested in other languages and cultures. Anything involving lots of travel or anthropology would be great too. I think learning Chinese and learning extensively about culture now will definitely help me in the future, and this chance of a lifetime would only further enhance my opportunities.
Joe Sopchak
My name is Joe Sopchak, and I am an American student studying world languages. I am 16 years old. My family and friends have described me as kind, trustworthy, intelligent, ethical, self-motivated, and amazing beyond any level previously known to mankind. I feel as though I'm a very easy person to be with. If hosted by a family, I would do my best to make my presence as natural as possible. I'm very low-maintenance, and would be sure to carry my weight. I'd clean up after myself, help with housework, and any other necessary tasks to make my stay as easy as possible for my host family.. While probably a little over-ambitious, I would eventually like to form a band and travel the world (which is a key reason for my application to this program).
In March of my eighth grade year, I made the best decision of my life - to forgo high school with my life-long friends, and to accept a scholarship to a local private school. Two amazing opportunities immediately presented themselves to me shortly before school started - my new school offered a Chinese language class, as well as a Model United Nations class. I quickly developed a passion for Chinese. Being a visual learner, I felt so at home among the thousands of characters, and I loved the flow of the language. In addition, I learned how important Chinese culture is today.I think that participating in the NSLI-Y program in China will help me get one step closer to my goal of working in international relations. The language studies, I’m sure, will turn out to be invaluable to my entire Chinese education even through college; the homestay situation and interaction with the local culture will enable me to develop social skills that will assist me in the world of international relations.
Jordan Meier
While I haven’t narrowed down what I would like to do in my future, I know what I am passionate about. I love working with little kids and I am really interested in other languages and cultures. Anything involving lots of travel or anthropology would be great too. I think learning Chinese and learning extensively about culture now will definitely help me in the future, and this chance of a lifetime would only further enhance my opportunities.
Joe Sopchak
My name is Joe Sopchak, and I am an American student studying world languages. I am 16 years old. My family and friends have described me as kind, trustworthy, intelligent, ethical, self-motivated, and amazing beyond any level previously known to mankind. I feel as though I'm a very easy person to be with. If hosted by a family, I would do my best to make my presence as natural as possible. I'm very low-maintenance, and would be sure to carry my weight. I'd clean up after myself, help with housework, and any other necessary tasks to make my stay as easy as possible for my host family.. While probably a little over-ambitious, I would eventually like to form a band and travel the world (which is a key reason for my application to this program).
David Oliver
When my Chinese teacher told me about this opportunity, I was both excited and a little apprehensive. I was excited about the opportunity to better my Chinese language skills and to experience firsthand your amazing country with its rich and ancient culture. Although I am in my second year of Chinese, I was apprehensive about living in China for the summer with limited ability to speak the language. I find the Chinese language interesting, but challenging. It is difficult for me to memorize the characters, but I have an easier time with the spoken language. It is my hope that being immersed in the language this summer will help me to greatly improve my Chinese.
David Allyn
I am a devoted student and my favorite subject in school is Chinese. I study Pinyin as well as characters and the spoken language. Thus far, my class has learned many of the basic phrases and words as well the culture that goes along with them. For instance, we have learned about medicine in China, and more specifically about some of the traditional methods of Chinese medicine. Our teacher has also taught us about the differences in Chinese school systems and the typical schedule for a Chinese student.
Hannah Lee
Foreign language (Chinese) is interesting to me because this is the language that my parents grew up in. I was introduced to the language in my childhood, but I rejected it out of my stubbornness and ignorance to see its value. From high school to current day, I began to see the importance in learning the language to be introduced to different cultures. I also began to see its importance in future careers. Nowadays, jobs that involve traveling and/or moving around are only too common. Learning a second or even third language would improve your job chances significantly, not to mention it would look super on your college résumé. Those aren't my main focuses for learning Chinese though. Just learning the language is my main motivation.
When my Chinese teacher told me about this opportunity, I was both excited and a little apprehensive. I was excited about the opportunity to better my Chinese language skills and to experience firsthand your amazing country with its rich and ancient culture. Although I am in my second year of Chinese, I was apprehensive about living in China for the summer with limited ability to speak the language. I find the Chinese language interesting, but challenging. It is difficult for me to memorize the characters, but I have an easier time with the spoken language. It is my hope that being immersed in the language this summer will help me to greatly improve my Chinese. David Allyn
I am a devoted student and my favorite subject in school is Chinese. I study Pinyin as well as characters and the spoken language. Thus far, my class has learned many of the basic phrases and words as well the culture that goes along with them. For instance, we have learned about medicine in China, and more specifically about some of the traditional methods of Chinese medicine. Our teacher has also taught us about the differences in Chinese school systems and the typical schedule for a Chinese student.Hannah Lee
Foreign language (Chinese) is interesting to me because this is the language that my parents grew up in. I was introduced to the language in my childhood, but I rejected it out of my stubbornness and ignorance to see its value. From high school to current day, I began to see the importance in learning the language to be introduced to different cultures. I also began to see its importance in future careers. Nowadays, jobs that involve traveling and/or moving around are only too common. Learning a second or even third language would improve your job chances significantly, not to mention it would look super on your college résumé. Those aren't my main focuses for learning Chinese though. Just learning the language is my main motivation.
MPH China Trip students essay and parent statement
Summer 2010
Summer 2010
Adam Feiszli
I think my friends and family would describe me as a happy and fun person. I get along with everyone and I am ready to do anything. Sports are a big part of my life. I love to play any sport. This year I am playing both soccer and lacrosse for school, and I usually participate in football, and other sports after school with my friends. I've really been waiting to travel outside of North America and see other parts of the world. I'd be extremely excited to travel to China and experience the different culture, and see the country .Parker McQueeny
I want to learn Chinese because I am not satisfied knowing only one language. Later on in life, I want to travel the world. Knowing Chinese is a good start to being successful in that area. I know many people from foreign countries. I am not satisfied with knowing just English, because every one of them is multilingual. If I were to be a citizen of the world, and not just the U.S., I would need to know other languages than just English. It is also possible that my future career would involve the use of other languages. I am not positive about what I want to be at this moment, but anything such as a translator is possible. My goal is to become fluent in Chinese, and hopefully other languages as well. Studying abroad this summer would greatly increase my skill and bring me closer to that goal.Jon Koss
Two years ago, I became interested in the Chinese language because it was intriguing and so different for my native English and the Latin I studied in school. Knowing Chinese opens the door to communication with over a billion people, while none of the other languages taught in my school offers such a rich possibility. When I learned about the NSLI program, I saw it as a magnificent opportunity, not only to improve my Chinese but also to be able to experience Chinese culture first hand. No matter how good one’s teacher is, nothing compares to being there.
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