From April 22nd to the 23rd, Chief Executor Officer of the China Education Association for International Exchange (CAEIE), Ms. Yang Li and CAEIE-AFS’s Program Officer, Mr. Yuncong Zheng, accompanied the program officer of the U.S. Department of State’s NSLI-Y (National Security Language Initiative for Youth) Office of Citizen Exchanges, Mr. Christopher Schwab, to Changzhou in order to inspect the situation of CSHS’s NSLI-Y program. As the workplace that executes this program, our school welcomed the inspection.

The first day that Mr. Schwab came to visit, he went to Changzhou’s No. 5 High School to view and participate in the NSLI-Y students’ cultural classes. Afterwards, the NSLI-Y students took him to gain the Changzhou’s public bus experience together.

On the second day, Mr. Schwab entered the students’ classroom and listened in on their morning Mandarin Chinese lessons.

Upon invitation during the big break period, Mr. Schwab interacted with our school’s AP students through a brief exchange. The AP students’ fluent English left him with a deep impression. Within the afternoon’s program briefing session, the Mandarin Chinese teacher, Mrs. Xianghong Ding introduced the hard work that our school has done with hosting NSLI-Y students for the past ten years from four different categories including host family placements, classroom language instruction, extracurricular activities and community service, and the interactions between the Chinese and American students.

All NSLI-Y academic year students who came to our school to study, lived with volunteer host families. AP student Jian Lu’s family has hosted three academic year NSLI-Y exchange students in a row. Not only have they provided NSLI-Y students a warm home, but they have also showed their foreign students the enthusiasm and friendliness of Chinese citizens. Mr. Christopher Schwab also paid a special visit to Mr. Lu’s house and presented the Lu family with gifts of gratitude.

The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) is a U.S. Department of State-sponsored scholarship program that sends outstanding American high school students who are selected to come to China to study Mandarin Chinese and culture of China every year. This program was launched in 2007. In 2009, our school became the first and only high school in our country to undertake the NSLI-Y program at that time. For the past ten years, our school has hosted a total of 65 NSLI-Y exchange students, including students have been accepted among some of America’s top universities such as Yale University, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Pennsylvania. During their time studying at our school, all of the students pass the HSK 4 (the fourth level of the HanyuShuipingKaoshi), which is the standardized proficiency test of Mandarin Chinese), while some even passed HSK 5 and 6 (with HSK 6 being the most advanced level). Passing at least the HSK 4 gives the students the ability to apply for Chinese universities. Their experience in living and studying in Changzhou leaves these students full of yearning, some even apply to well known Chinese universities and programs to continue pursue higher education and further their studies not long after their return to America.

Mr. Christopher Schwab’s trip to China on one hand was to inspect the situation of our language program. On the other hand, it was to give thanks and commend Changzhou and our school for the results in our work with hosting the NSLI-Y program. During the briefing session, Mr. Schwab awarded the host school, language teacher, and the program’s local coordinator a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.

Mr. Yongbao Hang, the director of Changzhou Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), and our school’s vice principal Mr. JianpingJin welcomed Mr. Schwab. Mr. Zefeng Hua, the secretary-general of CEAIE, Mr. Baoxiang Ji, the deputy secretary-general of CEAIE, as well as Mrs. Yunya Li, the head of the CSHS’ International Department accompanied Mr. Schwab during his visit.