Success Stories 2013 -- ECHS

[Anonymous]

Listed below are the success stories that I can directly attribute to the support of the US China Institute.

In short it has changed lives.

Tracy Gates, Pedro Perez, Gabby Devera have chosen to pursue a career with the State Department. Joseph Garcia and two other present students have chosen to go into international business. Presently two students are working with United States Consulate in Shanghai to put on Broadway performances for orphanages in four Chinese cities.

Escondido charter high school did not have a lesson plan, did not have an idea how to deal with international students now we have lesson plans, organizational structures and people with first-hand experience in China.

As for me personally I had always wanted to learn about China, its history and its people. Now after three years of extensive training and first-hand experience, I travel to China frequntly, so oftain that in last two years I've been in China almost 3 and a half months.

One of my good friends on the Institutes trip to China told me that this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, I disagreed, it is the first of a lifetime of traveling to China.
edited by jdarrough on 7/28/2013

[Anonymous]

When documenting the successes of the international leadership course with the support of the US China Institute one has to keep in mind the political perspective of the citizens of North San Diego county.

It is a very conservative view with a very narrow perspective on people from other countries. In some cases the Perspective was very negative towards Chinese.

In one example several Chinese students walked into my class and an American student turned turned me and said what are THEY doing here? At that time I had enough training to deal directly with the situation and in fact was able to turn that student around.
edited by jdarrough on 7/28/2013

[Anonymous]

Turning that one student around was fun because a lot of times working with us country folks, direct personal communication is the best. When she asked "what are THEY doing here", I just turned her and said "because I invited them do you have a problem"?
edited by jdarrough on 7/28/2013
edited by jdarrough on 7/28/2013

[Anonymous]

Turning students and their parents perspective around about China was really very easy. their perspective was based on fear. So you just dispel their fear by personal experience: going to China, meeting Chinese students, finding mutual interest.

[Anonymous]

a film will be in the theaters in mid-September it's about the charter movement through the eyes of my students in the international leadership class. It has been directed by Adam Mason an award winning film maker.
edited by jdarrough on 7/28/2013
edited by jdarrough on 7/28/2013

[Anonymous]

The fun part about enlightening students is that the first four weeks of the international leadership class students were bringing articles about how bad China is. They were making generalized global statements about China. The last month of the class students were talking about how to take the subway system, how cool the open-air markets where, how to neet the skyline Shanghai was, about their photographs how cool they were on the Great Wall. They were making statements of personal experience and comfort.
edited by jdarrough on 8/2/2013

[Anonymous]

Now keep in mind the international leadership class is a class of action, we do things. the class pulls together design principles, business principles, global perspective, and then the students plan their travel to China. The students do everything they book the flights, book the hotels, contact the consulate, contact businesses and business leaders, travel on the subway, take the taxis, they do it all.

[Anonymous]

We are supported by three foundations, the energized student foundation, the Gary Mary West foundation and the Escondido family trust.
edited by jdarrough on 8/2/2013

[Anonymous]

The clearest success story was Gabby Devera. She had no desire for any higher education, she had very little desire enthusiasm for life, and was just falling through school. Her parents wanted her to go into the medical business but she hated hospitals, blood, and needles.

During our China trip Gabby had displayed superior organizational skills, she had picked up the Mandarin language very quickly, and when the US consulate representative mentioned that Gabby had certain diplomatic skills that was it, the look of awareness was clear, we had reached Gabby, she had found her gift. now she's going to UCSD and is highly motivated
edited by jdarrough on 8/2/2013

[Anonymous]

In the case of Gabby to motivate her we had to educate the entire family about Gabby's potential. In many ways when I get high school school students they have already checked out and they've lost all motivation and passion. to turn them around it's a family affair

[clay dube]

Thanks, Joe, for bringing us all this great news about what's been going on in Escondido! It's great to hear about Gabby. I don't know who you folks met with in Shanghai. Next time, be sure to ask if Pete Winter, a former star student of ours, is available. He's terrific and is a new foreign service officer. He worked with Catherine at the USA Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo.

To all -- feel free to share stories of your students getting excited about Asia. I know that most of you will just be getting started in this arena, but Joe's experience is compelling. He and his colleagues just jumped in and have been making things happen. It could work for you as well.

[Anonymous]

Zoe is one of my present students with has one most inspirational stories.

She takes the train all the way from Riverside, 3 1/2 hours of traveling to come to our school.

At her other school she was bullied, beaten up and not treated well at all.

When we first got on the plane going to China she was sobbing she was actually trembling and horrified she was leaving her home. By the end the trip she was confident taking the subway throughout Beijing and Shanghai going out on her own with her friends have a good time enjoying herself.

Today she's like teaching assistant and displaying confidence self-insured and she does the job and does it well.

She has a very compelling personal story however I will not publish Zoe's life until I have permission from her and her parents.

[Anonymous]

Now let's talk about the truth the inside story about US China's Institutes training, seminars, workshops and field trips.

in a nutshell I would just say that they treat you extremely well and they work you hard. That's exactly what I on my vacation time to do something substantial.

We are presented high levels information clarity and insight from the best in the business.

[Anonymous]

In contrast I have been on educational workshops and seminars been a waste of my time. Clay doesn't waste my time he has high expectations for us.

[Anonymous]

Is the leadership class specifically focused on China

[Author]

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