Junior Receives Prestigious Scholarship to Study in China

The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y), part of a U.S. government initiative to prepare “American citizens to be leaders in a global world,” has awarded James Dixon ’19 with a prestigious scholarship to study in Xiamen, China, this summer.
 
According to Chinese teacher Julie Wang, who encouraged James to apply for the scholarship, he is the seventh Episcopal Chinese student to be recognized by NSLI-Y over the years. James will spend part of his time in China living with a Chinese host family, and the rest of his time living in a dormitory with other program participants.

James, who had no prior foreign language experience prior to arriving at EHS as a freshman, says, “I think I’ll really improve my listening and speaking abilities. I hope to learn a lot more about the Chinese culture, and how the daily life there is similar and different from my life.”

“This will really get him out of his comfort zone,” says Ms. Wang. “I’m excited for James. He’s a hard-working student.”

Ms. Wang credits James’s accomplishment to his hard work and persistence. When he wasn’t accepted to the program as a sophomore, he didn’t give up.

James hopes that his experience abroad will further his connection to international students at Episcopal.

Says Ms. Wang, “I do think that one thing that is very important to know is that, when you go to school in China, you learn English. So many people know about the Western culture. But there are so few Americans that know about China.

“This experience will give him a foundation for a lot of global conversations. There will be more doors open.”

James is excited to continue his Chinese language and culture studies this summer and well into the future, and hopes to pursue a career in foreign affairs one day.
 
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