Edition #1 | Former USCET Intern
Since 1998, USCET has had many talented young people walk through its doors. These people have contributed to the promotion of US-China relations while as an integral part of USCET, as a participant of our programs, and as future leaders in the promotion of US-China relations. This series will tell the stories of these alumni and their impact on fostering better bilateral relations.
The first alumnus that we will be highlighting in this series in Song Yi. Today, Song Yi is a lawyer in Washington, DC and a columnist for Legal Weekly, a legal newspaper in China. Back in 2007, Song Yi first came to Washington as an intern at USCET where she had the opportunity to get involved with projects hands on.
Song Yi conducted research about the teaching of American Studies in China and Chinese Studies in the US, with the opportunity to compose several reports presenting her research. “The USCET team and Ambassador Bloch herself served as excellent mentors to me.” The American Studies Network is a cornerstone of USCET programming, having been established in 2004, and facilitating exchanges between the US and China. Today, USCET’s American Studies Network boasts 54 members across China with an annual conference held each year.
After interning at USCET, Song Yi attended Georgetown University Law Center and practiced law across the United States. Her passion and interest for US-China relations has not waned and she uses writing as a creative outlet to explore bilateral relations. Through her column in Legal Weekly, Song Yi writes about American legal cases for a Chinese audience lending her insight on how the American justice system functions. “I began writing for Legal Weekly in 2012 primarily as a means for processing the bombardment of information I receive daily.”
Song Yi’s articles are not a one-way form of communication, but rather a cross-cultural dialogue as she receives messages from Chinese readers. “Readers connect well with the stories, such as when I covered a legal case involving the producers of children’s Motrin. A young woman suffered severe medical side effects causing her to be disabled from childhood, and this caused many Chinese readers to reach out to my editor sharing stories of their own children and the side effects they have faced from taking similar medicines. If anything, that article showed readers that they were not alone in facing illness or side effects caused by medications.”
US-China relations today are reaching a critical point, however Song Yi remains optimistic. “The many challenges in US-China relations also equal many opportunities for young people who want to get involved. People to people exchanges, such as those offered by USCET, continue to remain important and contribute to the improvement of relations.”
中美教育基金会校友访谈系列 —— 宋一
从1998年至今，在中美教育基金会实习过的学生数不胜数，他们年轻有为，成为中美教育基金会的校友。实习期间，他们参加了基金会项目并成为推动中美关系发展不可或缺的生力军。这个访谈系列讲述的就是这些校友的故事，以及他们在发展21世纪最重要的双边关系中的影响。
访谈系列的第一位校友是宋一。现在，宋一是华盛顿的一名律师，同时也是中国《法制周末》报的特约撰稿人。在2007年，宋一第一次来到华盛顿，在中美教育基金会做实习生，她有机会积极参加了基金会的各种项目。
宋一在关于中国对美国研究及美国对中国研究等项目做了很多调研，并撰写了报告，来陈述她的研究成果。她说：“中美教育基金会团队包括张之香大使本人都是我出色的导师。” 中美教育基金会美国研究网络是基金会项目的基石，该项目于2004年建立，促进了中美教育交流。如今，中美教育基金会的美国研究网络，拥有遍布中国的54所会员大学，美国研究网络的年度国际会议已进入第16个年头。
宋一在中美教育基金会实习后，就读于美国首都华盛顿的乔治城大学法学院，并在美国当律师。她对中美关系的热情和兴趣至今没有减弱，目前，写作是她探索双边关系的创造性途径。她通过给《法律周末》的专栏撰稿，为中国读者撰写有关美国法律案件的文章，分享她对美国司法制度的运转应用的见解。 “我从2012年开始为《法律周末》撰文，写作是处理每天接触到的大量感官信息的一种方式。”
宋一的文章不仅是一种单向的输出，她也会从中国读者那里收到反馈交流，形成一种跨文化对话。 “一些法律故事对读者很有触动，例如我报道过儿童退烧药布洛芬致残的案件，美国一个女孩服药后产生严重的副作用，致使她从童年起残疾，当时，一些中国读者与我联系，分享他们自己孩子的故事以及他们服用类似药物所面临的副作用。如果说文章有什么精神意义的话，那就是文章向读者表明，他们面对疾病或药物的副作用并不孤独。”
今天的中美关系已达到临界点，但宋一仍然乐观。她称： “中美关系中的诸多挑战也为想要参与其中的年轻人带来了许多机会。 中美教育基金会提供的人与人之间的交流机会倍加重要，为改善缓解双边关系起到了重要作用。”