Ms. Hongmin Jiang and Ms. Yan Li arrived from Washington D.C. with tours of Tates Creek and Bryan Station middle schools on their schedule. But it was the last and only stop at a high school where they met students who have likely been studying the language the longest.
A small group of students at Frederick Douglass High School showed the representatives – both acting as ambassadors in their own way – around the school and then finally to a class learning Chinese.
"Well, I was just really surprised and I'm honored that I could have been chosen to represent the Chinese program here," says senior Austin Harmon.
It may have been a surprise, but he’s a pretty ideal candidate – having started studying the language all the way back in kindergarten. Not exactly the age when you’re thinking about future career options. We asked why Chinese drew him in.
"I just love it. I love the culture," he says. "It's said to be one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn. But because I started at such a young age, I just find it natural and I feel really comfortable with it."
Harmon does now hope to put that comfort to use in a career as he looks to join a military academy.
The interactions with Chinese embassy representatives were brief but friendly – with both students and teachers exchanging tokens and greeting them with the traditional bow.
