Three Chinese language students from Grove City College were honored this year for their mastery of a second language and their academic achievements.
Bethany Haughey ’18, of Bowie, Md., won the Senior Level Third Place in the Seventh “Chinese Bridge” East USA Chinese Proficiency Competition for College Students last month in New York. This competition demonstrates the nonnative-speaker student’s mastery of Chinese language and culture. Haughey competed against thirteen other students from schools including Harvard and Princeton. Part of the competition showcases a specific, culturally-relevant talent. Haughey played the erhu, a type of Chinese violin.
The Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition is an international contest sponsored by the Office of the Chinese Language Council International in Beijing.
Stephanie Dadd ’16, of Westchester, Pa., and Jessica Sayre ’16, of Pompton Plains, N.J., were both approved and accepted as honor members of the National Collegiate Chinese Honor Society, sponsored by the Chinese Language Teachers Association of the United States. Their acceptance recognized their outstanding academic achievement in learning Chinese as a second language. Full-time students who have at least five semester of Chinese with an overall GPA of 3.5 are eligible for membership. In addition, members are expected to demonstrate strong evidence of their engagement and commitment to the Chinese language and culture through their school or community activities.
The Chinese program at Grove City is under the direction of Dr. Shuhui Su, professor of Modern Languages and Chinese. The College offers a minor in Chinese and some of the students who have studied the language are now working in China as teachers in schools or with companies doing business there. Others are applying or headed to graduate school to pursue relevant careers.
“Our students are 21st-century global citizens. They need a better understanding and better communication with new perspectives,” Su said. “That’s why it’s essential to take at least one foreign language.”
To learn more about the Chinese program or other modern language programs at Grove City College, visit www.gcc.edu/modl.