大家好！Hello, everyone!

My name is River Saint Gabriel, and I am a high school student dreaming of going to China to learn more about my birth country's language and culture through immersion.

A fun fact about me is that my first language was not English—it was Chinese Mandarin, the main dialect spoken in China. I was born in Nanning, China, but left at an early age. For twelve years, I had very little exposure to the Chinese language and culture, and as a result, my knowledge of it faded. As I entered adolescence and began searching for where I truly belong, I decided to reconnect with my roots for guidance. Since it isn't possible to reunite with my birth family, the next best thing I can do is to learn the Chinese language and gain a deeper understanding of my birth country.

Here are some photos of me before I was adopted.

I restarted my Chinese language learning journey using Duolingo. It helped me acquire basic vocabulary and grammar, but after six months of using the app, I felt I needed more. I asked my parents if I could watch Chinese TV with Chinese Mandarin audio and subtitles to expand my exposure of vocabulary and grammar beyond what the app could provide. They agreed and have been supportive me of my language learning journey ever since.

In 2024, when I was selecting my classes, I knew I'd have an open elective in my senior year, so I chose to enroll in Chinese I and Chinese II with Florida Virtual School. I recently completed Chinese II with straight A’s. My Chinese teacher was so impressed with my pronunciation that she recorded a discussion-based assessment demonstration with me to share with her principal and other Chinese teachers. I owe much of this success to the early exposure I received as a child. While I don't remember everything, that foundation played a key role in my language learning. I also feel incredibly fortunate to have been raised in the United States and am forever grateful to my adoptive family. They provided me with the full immersion I needed to learn English, and I became fluent in nine months! Although I will be in China for only one month, I believe being there will accelerate my learning and help me become fluent in Mandarin, just as I did with English.

Here are some photos of me shortly after I was adopted.

Learning languages has always been one of my passions. It's fascinating how people can communicate in different ways, and how learning a language not only opens the door to understanding a country’s culture and history, but it also fosters connections among people. Alongside my family, I've had the privilege of studying American Sign Language, and at school I've learned Spanish. Learning a language isn't something that happens overnight—it requires dedication, hard work and resilience to overcome setbacks. I know that the challenges are an opportunity for growth. That is why I applied to the CIEE study abroad program. I want to challenge myself further and engage in cross-cultural education.

Here are some photos of me currently.

After having the courage to apply, I was accepted to the CIEE study abroad program in Shanghai, China, for four weeks! I'm incredibly grateful to CIEE, who has already offered support through their Academic Merit Award Scholarship, which is granted to a selected group of academic students. The total cost of my trip is $9,500. The tuition is $7,000, which includes four weeks of lodging, meals, language classes, travel insurance, transportation in China, 24/7 assistance in-country, and daily educational field trips. The remaining $2,500 goes towards airfare.

I realize this is a significant amount of money, and I know I can't do it alone. In addition to this GoFundMe campaign, I'm also pursuing other ways to raise funds for this trip. I have a job, I have posted my fundraiser fliers in local Chinese/Asian restaurants and markets. I will also participate in my neighborhood garage sale. So far, with the CIEE scholarships and personal contributions, I have contributed $2,569 toward the total.

(Update) Outside of GoFundMe, I have been fundraising and saving my money for the past couple of months, and I am now 84.5% funded!

Please help me continue my momentum. I have $1,500 out of the $7,000 remaining to raise to help cover the tuition. I would be deeply grateful for any support, whether through donations or by sharing my GoFundMe campaign. Every contribution is truly appreciated.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! I'm incredibly excited about this trip, and I hope you can be a part of this journey with me!

夏建荧 (This is the Chinese name given to me at birth: Xia JianYing)