1/5

International Emerging Leaders - Asia Students Visit China

3/22/2017

Eleven Collegiate School seniors are visiting China this week as part of Collegiate School’s International Emerging Leaders - Asia program to better understand relations between China and America, especially related to economics.

The students, accompanied by Lower School Chinese teacher Xin-Yi Fergusson and Director of Economic and Entrepreneurship Education Trina Clemans, are staying with host families while in China. During their weeklong trip, they are visiting the Shanghai offices of the Richmond-based company WestRock; spending time at Collegiate’s partner school, Beijing New Oriental in Yangzhou, and attending various workshops and classes.

One class, taught by Mrs. Clemans, examined a case study of Zara, the highly successful Spanish clothing store in the world of fast fashion. The class looked at the pros and cons of fast fashion and how Zara’s presence differs in China and the U.S.

“It was really interesting to discuss fashion trends and ideas with our sister school and learn about a very different perspective,” said senior Sumner Brinkley.

The students also found time to try their hand at ping pong, badminton, tai chi and calligraphy. In that lesson, the characters they practiced meant “everlasting friendship” — a fitting phrase as their week of connecting with new friends comes to a close.

The students return home on Saturday. Read about their experiences on their blog.

Back