Confucius Institute Students Recognized in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Notwithstanding the challenging climate in U.S.-Chinese relations and exchanges, hundreds of people from across the United States gathered to celebrate the achievements of ten award-winning students at the annual Confucius Institute National Honors Gala on September 14, 2019. This gathering marked the fourth annual gala of the Confucius Institute US Center, held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, which recognizes the accomplishments of exemplary Confucius Institute students from universities and school systems across the country.

The attendees, which included distinguished business leaders, educators, public officials, diplomats, media representatives, and artists, joined in affirming the value of global education and the importance of people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States in this challenging time.

Expressing her support of the Confucius Institute at St. Cloud University, University President Dr. Robbyn Wacker, the keynote speaker, said, "Our mission and strategic plans specifically direct our educational endeavors to ensure that students will be able to engage as members of a diverse, multicultural world.  At St. Cloud State our Confucius Institute is a vitally important way that we make good on this educational promise." One of her students, Jerrad Solberg, spoke of achieving his dream of traveling to China through his Confucius Institute, despite being born with cerebral palsy. 

This year's honorees - ages 9 through 78 have benefited from active engagement with Chinese language development, cultural awareness, and global education through Confucius Institute programs.  Many of them received commendation letters from their Congressional representative. Event photos, video, and student stories available here.

Speaking of her own experiences with people-to-people exchanges, Ambassador Dr. Arikana Chihombori Quao, Ambassador of the African Union to the United States, said, "Through their exchanges, America has raised a young girl from being a teenager, to being a medical doctor, to being a mother, to being a wife, to being an Ambassador representing 55 African countries. This is what people-to-people can do."

With more than 530 institutes around the globe, Confucius Institutes may possibly be the most diverse educational program on the planet.

The Confucius Institute U.S. Center is a nonprofit organization that supports the teaching of Chinese language and culture in the United States and fosters educational exchanges between China and the United States.

Media Contact: Erik Eging, [email protected], [email protected]

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SOURCE Confucius Institute U.S. Center