Exchange students head off to China

A trio of Lasswade High pupils will be the first from Midlothian to head to the Far East to study and live in China for a year on CISS Scholarships.

Lasswade pupils, from left, Aspen, Catherine and Mateusz, who have become the first Midlothian students to be selected for the CISS Scholarships

Catherine Allison, Aspen Howarth and Mateusz Korbanek are three of the 22 Scottish students who will study in Tainjin for the academic session 2018-19 thanks to the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools’ course.

Catherine (17), who has studied Mandarin at Lasswade since S3, was in China last summer to take part in an immersion course which saw her travel to four different Chinese cities. From that trip she applied for this course.

She said: “I can not wait to start my adventure in China, expanding my knowledge from Advanced Higher. I am also looking forward to spending time with my good friends in Tianjin who I met earlier this year while hosting students from our partner school.”

Aspen (17) has also studied the language since third year at Lasswade and can’t wait for her once in a lifetime trip to China. She said: “I am extremely excited to be given the chance to put my Mandarin skills to use and to experience life in China.

“I cannot put into words how happy I am to be chosen to study at Tianjin University in China and I am ecstatic that I have been chosen along with my friends so we can enjoy this rare experience together.”

Mateusz (17) added: “The hard work has paid off. I am ecstatic to be chosen as one of the scholars for the Tianjin scholarship. I cannot wait to see what my future in China brings.”

The Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools, based at the University of Strathclyde, is a national centre funded by the Scottish Government and Hanban, the Confucius Institute headquarters of China.

By learning about Chinese language and culture through the Scottish and Chinese landscapes, it is hoped Scotland’s young people can become better global citizens, develop key skills for life and work and make a significant contribution to a fairer, smarter, more successful Scotland.

CISS aims to ensure learners are culturally and environmentally aware and prepared to make decisions for a just, sustainable world for future generations.

This includes awareness of climate change in Scotland, China and globally in order to reinforce the role of every citizen in protecting and conserving our planet in line with the UN sustainable development goals.