I have a strong curiosity in and enthusiasm for the English language and western culture. That's why I applied to the Shanghai Foreign Language School. Luckily, I was selected for the class of 2010, whose roughly 300 students were carefully selected through comprehensive examinations. The school teaches us about foreign affairs and gives us a cross-cultural education. To accomplish such unique objectives, we learn one major foreign language and two minor foreign languages. I am studying English and Spanish. We also have bilingual education in other subjects such as math and physics.

I think it's important to have international experiences because through them we get to know different things – how people of different cultures conduct themselves, how systems work – and it gives us a feeling of diversity. Even outside school, I've continued to educate myself internationally, and I've things I never would have learned otherwise.

When I was 13, I found an exchange program on the Shanghai Education Association for International Exchange website while surfing the internet. I applied and was accepted. This trip to London in 2005 was my first time being away from my Shanghai home alone. I'd never traveled by myself, not even on domestic trips.

I used to dream of being a diplomat, but now I want to be an engineer and environmentalist, so that I can help settle practical problems. --Yi

The visit to Britain was the experience of a lifetime. Not only did it improve my command of English, but it also enriched my knowledge of how to be independent and helpful. Already interested in western culture, the trip enhanced my fascination. During my exchange, I spent my days in English classes and tours, but at night, when we went back “home,” the memorable time was spent with our host families. They treated me like a family member, taught me gardening and how to make English tea, and introduced me to their daughters and relatives.

During my stay, I found that westerners tend to be creative and liberal. When I was studying in London, my European classmates always possessed novel ideas; for example, even the dining hall was a place to express their individualism – they put food on their plates in unique designs like a smiling face or an artificial mountain, or even an athlete racing under the sun.

Classes were less structured and flexible. I can still clearly remember one particular day in my advanced English class. Although we were inside, everyone, including our teacher, Anne O'Neill, was wearing a pair of sunglasses. We spent the entire time period debating: Bill Gates or a farmer, who is more important? While we were devoted to the ardent argument, Ms. O'Neill sat there drinking her coffee, delighted, observing us. At home in Shanghai, English class would have consisted of informal news reports and speeches by the students, then formal student presentations, followed by the teacher talking about the contents of the textbook, some revision, and wrapping up. You don't have to be nearly as formal in western classes. In my view this shortens the distance between faculty and students, and you learn a lot from this “informal” way of gaining knowledge.

My London experience was just the beginning of my international education. I take advantage of opportunities through my school, for instance, volunteering at the 2007 International Children's Arts Festival in Shanghai. For the last two years, I've participated in the Global Challenge Awards, an online international competition that encourages learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (which I also found on the Shanghai Education Association for International Exchange ).

I can still clearly remember the theme that attracted me that first year; “Think Big and Help Solve Global Warming.” It is undeniable that global environment is currently attenuating and will continue worsening in the foreseeable future. Through participating in the contest I learned about the environment and global warming (I was so crazy about the environment that I even wrote a short play about environment protection and made several speeches about it in our school's 2006 International Star competition, which I won that year.) I also learned how to solve problems with creative thoughts, how to cooperate with others, and how to contribute in a joint effort.

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Last year my team and I placed in the top ten teams, this year my new team and I earned first places in three categories - Best Global Business Plan, Best STEM explorations, and Best Overall Score. Our plan was called From Trash to Treasure: A Portable Biomass-to-Synfuel Production System, and it detailed a mobile liquid hydrocarbon plant that is self sufficient (its feedstock is waste biomass provided by the client), environmentally friendly, and economically feasible. It was really enjoyable working with Ida, Sammy, and Lucy, and I want to thank them all. Both years, as part of my award, I got to attend the Governor's Institute on Engineering at the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Vermont.

Protecting the environment is becoming my core issue, and my international experiences have shaped my ambitions. I used to dream of being a diplomat, but now I want to be an engineer and environmentalist, so that I can help settle practical problems. Thinking big to try to stop the accumulated environmental depravation and help solve the global challenge of climate change is crucial, and we need action. No borders, no culture differences, we are together!

Yi Pan is a student at the Shanghai Foreign Language School. He continues to travel and educate himself internationally. He's been to Australia on school exchange, to Japan through a government exchange program, and participated in the 2008 Yale Model United Nations Conference.