Kennedy Walton (right), a student at Hope Chinese Charter School in Oregon, poses with her mother at the 2026 "Chinese Bridge" preliminary competition at the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco on Saturday. [Photo by LIA ZHU/for chinadaily.com.cn]
Kennedy Walton, 9, has been learning Chinese for five years and her reason for sticking with it so far is straightforward.
"I think learning another language is like powerful," she said, wearing a traditional Chinese outfit her father had bought for her in China.
The student at Hope Chinese Charter School in Oregon said her father works with Nike selling shoes in China and has to rely on friends who speak Chinese or translation apps to get by.
"So I feel like if I ever grow up and go to China or a place that speaks a different language, I could use my language and communicate," she told China Daily.
