On Saturday, November 18, 2017, The Confucius Institute US Center held its second annual People To People Awards Gala. The awards recognize students all over America who have excelled in their Mandarin studies and who have helped in people to people exchanges between the US and China.
I was not only selected to win one of these 10 awards (from 110 Confucius Institutes nationwide, but I was also invited to give the keynote speech on behalf of all of the honorees.
It was a little scary speaking in front of 200+ guests, but mostly it was fun and a great honor. Also speaking that night was Major General Charles Bolden, who ran NASA for many years. He flew four shuttle missions! He delivered a very powerful speech on the importance of good relations with other countries, remembering how he invited several Russian cosmonauts to his home in Houston and how after starting off a little leery of one another, they grew to be good friends!
I had the chance to meet people from all over the world and my story was shared in the media. Here are some examples:
William and Mary News: How Noodles Led To Serious Study of Mandarin
NBC12 Richmond: Midlothian Homeschooler Honored For Studies In Mandarin
I am supposed to appear on CBS TV’s “Building Better Minds” program soon and hope to post the video here.
It was a great night and I’m sure I won’t ever forget it!