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Corina Li Caldwell, a junior at Evanston Township Public High School won a scholarship from the U.S. State Department and will travel to Taiwan this summer to study Mandarin. The scholarship is part of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth and run by the U.S. Department of State.
“It was kind of chaotic, because at first we were concerned that the program had actually been cut,” Corina told the RoundTable. But then, months after she had applied and gone through a round of interviews, Corina learned that she had been selected as an alternate. The very next day, during a passing period at school, she found out that she had been awarded the scholarship.
“I was overjoyed,” she said.
Corina grew up learning some Mandarin from her mother, Tina, who is Chinese, and has also taken the language for several years at school. Although Corina has traveled to China in the past with her family to visit her grandparents, the scholarship presented new possibilities.
“I’ve always been as active as I could be in America in my Chinese heritage,” Corina said, noting that the Chinese American community in Evanston is small and Chicago’s Chinatown is far away. Although Taiwan and China are different places, they have cultural similarities.
“Hopefully I’ll learn how to cook some of these meals, because I will have a host family for some of the time,” Corina laughed.
She will study at National Tsing Hua University outside Taipei, taking Chinese classes four hours a day and field trips some afternoons.
In her spare time, Corina works on Evanston’s Youth Advisory Committee and is also on the Teen Council at the Art Institute of Chicago. She plays violin and piano, and as part of a club she was involved in at ETHS, tutored kids from Bessie Rhodes Middle School in music.
“I feel like working in some sort of global international relations career has very recently become very intriguing to me because of this program … and I just want to help promote some mutual understanding,” she said. Corina explained she’s especially interested in using Chinese language skills to build bridges of understanding between China and Taiwan. She might even use the language as a lawyer one day.
“I am so excited for her,” Corina’s mom told the RoundTable. “I mean … of course, it’s language learning, it’s cultural immersion, but also it’s just such a chance for her to experience the culture on her own.”
Tina said that one huge draw of the NSLI-Y program was the fact that it’s a study abroad scholarship. Many study abroad programs she looked at cost upwards of $6,000.
“You don’t have to know any of the language to do it,” Corina added. “So it’s like … I think more people should just go for it.”
Corina leaves for Taiwan at the end of June.
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Hope Perry is a staff reporter at the RoundTable covering education. In the past, she has covered higher education and criminal justice. She can be reached at hopep@evanstonroundtable.com with your tips,… More by Hope Perry
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The Evanston RoundTable is the community’s leading source of news about local government, schools, civic and artistic activities, and other important issues facing our city. We seek to foster civic engagement and empower people to address complex issues facing our diverse community, promoting a better understanding and appreciation of people of all races, ethnicities, and income levels.
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