University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa student Vivian Li has been selected by a national committee to participate in an extensive overseas experience called the Flagship Capstone Year in China announced UH Mānoa Chinese Language Flagship Program Director Madeline Spring. Li, a Chinese language major, is one of only 49 U.S. students chosen for this experience. She will attend Nanjing University in fall 2015 for one semester and be a full-time intern in her second semester.
The UH Mānoa Chinese Language Flagship Program, in the College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature, trains students to a professional level of language proficiency while they earn a degree of their choice. The program does this through individual tutoring, accelerated learning options, intensive summer study and an extensive overseas experience which includes both study and internship in China. It is part of the nation’s most prestigious federal program devoted to training in languages critical to the political and economic well-being of the U.S.
The Pauoa resident began her academic studies intending to be a business major. She took Mandarin to fulfill her language requirements, but soon found the classes were a good way to expand her vocabulary and improve communication with her Cantonese-speaking parents. Before long, she better understood and empathized with people of different cultures living in the U.S., and changed her major to Chinese language.
Li is thrilled by the opportunity that her capstone year presents. “Besides learning the language, I look forward to meeting a variety of students at Nanjing University and learning about their views on China’s social development. As for the internship, I’m excited to put my language skills to a test, learn more professional jargons and most importantly become a better young professional. I hope to become linguistically and culturally competent so I can one day work as a Chinese language teacher dealing with foreign cultures or international affairs.”
—A UH Mānoa news release
