Quinn, a senior at George Washington University who double majors in anthropology and international studies, recently took first place in the advanced division at the Jiangsu Cup Chinese Speech Contest held on the GWU campus. How was the contest set up?
There were three components to it. The first component we were able to prepare for, a one-minute self introduction. Then the second part was kind of intimidating because they asked three questions and you have no time to prepare. And then you have to give a five-minute speech on a topic and you’re given three to five minutes to prepare.
What did you win?
If I chose to go it’s a full ride scholarship for a master’s degree at Nanjing University in China. If I choose not to go for the M.A., I still get an eight day all-expense paid tour of the province.
How long have you studied Chinese?
Since freshman year. I grew up in Belgium because my dad was stationed there for Toyota, and I grew up speaking French. So I think my environment in Europe made me interested in the language because they’re all around you and so I’ve always been able to grasp them. With Chinese, I really just wanted a challenge. It was an intellectual curiosity.
What do you ultimately want to do with the skill?
I know I definitely wanted to pursue graduate studies. The prospect of leaving school is kind of intimidating for me because I love learning. And I love teaching, too, so I could see myself leaning toward academia. I’ve had so many opportunities thrown my way because I can speak the language. I’m hoping opportunities will keep coming, but I haven’t completely figured out what I want to do.
— Steve Contorno
