On Sunday, April 28, two Penn students attempted the 11th Annual Valparaiso University Great Lakes Chinese Speech Contest. The contest includes writing, speech, and a talent show. There are three levels to each contest: 1,2 and 3. The students have been preparing for this contest for weeks, and their hard work was not in vain–they placed well and truly showcased their skills.
Penn student Dawson Brooke, a junior and Chinese 1 student, took 2nd place on both Level 1 speech and writing. Chinese 2 and PNN student Xue Li, a sophomore who moved to the US when she was 8 (and speaks Chinese at home), got 2nd place in the Level 3 speech contest.
Mrs. Tian, a Chinese teacher at Penn, said, “The purpose for letting the student attempt this contest is not to win, it’s to let them get the experience and see what other students have learned.”
Dawson Brooke said,” It’s fun to get to know other people that have the same interest as me. I would like to go again if I have time next year.”
This is the last contest of 2019 for Chinese students. All the students are looking forward to next year!
Reah Frydrych 
Nathan Tingle 
Brandon Hall