March 22, 2019
By Lucy Carr
Four students from Beijing High School No. 4 spent three weeks studying at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics as part of the 2019 “Hefner Initiative USA/ China/ Asia.” This year’s Hefner Scholars were Huannan Huang, Jiacheng Liang, Anqi Xie, and Jingyi Zhou. They were accompanied by Hefner Ambassador Wuwei Fan, a biology teacher and college counselor at BHSF. The group stayed in the dorms at OSSM, attended classes and participated in school activities, as well as enjoying special outings to learn about the history and culture of Oklahoma.
This year’s program included tours of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, Oklahoma City Community College’s Film & Video Department, the University of Oklahoma campus, the Sam Noble Museum, and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The Hefner Scholars also enjoyed an Oklahoma City Thunder basketball game, and celebrated the Lunar New Year at OSSM. Hefner Scholar Huannan Huang wrote of his trip, “this winter vacation was by far the most meaningful one … I went to classes with different students, who all love learning and can also create a vibrant classroom environment which I really enjoyed … all students in OSSM not only focus on their study, but also more importantly, all care about each other.” Hefner Scholar Jiachen Liang reflected, “We, OSSM students and BHSFIC students, spent three weeks together, and when we left, we were already good friends. Such connections made me wonder, since we students can be friends, can’t China and the United States also be friends?”