Upper School Mandarin teacher Yi-Wen Liu has been elected president of the Chinese Language Teachers Association of North Carolina, effective January 2021. She has served as vice president for the past two years.

According to its website, CLTA-NC's mission is to provide professional development and serve as a network resource for Chinese language teachers at all educational levels, promoting collaboration and an exchange of professional experiences and views.

As president, Liu will organize professional development opportunities such as workshops and the annual conference while working to strengthen connections between Chinese language teachers across the state.

"In my two-year term, I will invite more guest speakers through my professional network and provide opportunities for Chinese language teachers to network," she said. "My goal is to make CLTA-NC a platform for world language teachers to collaborate and seek for professional growth."

Liu has been involved in the association since 2016 and said the professional connections she's made have helped her enrich her students' experiences with the language.

"I have been able to exchange ideas with Chinese teachers and university professors in North Carolina. My students are currently working with other peer students to demonstrate their language skills virtually," she said. "For example, each Upper School Mandarin student has a pen pal from Durham Academy. Honors Mandarin IV and V students will also have the opportunity to present their projects to UNC-Greensboro students virtually. In the future, I would like to invite other Chinese teachers or learners to speak to our classes."