Student/Parent Portal
Christine Zhang is a senior at Montini Catholic High School. She is an extremely driven and focused young woman, one who takes her academics very seriously but is also dedicated to being involved in the school community. Cambridge Network has 20 students attending Montini this year, most of whom are from China, but Christine prefers to socialize with her American classmates and friends. This outgoing attitude has enabled her to improve her English greatly in the short time she has been here. Christine has said to me, “I don’t understand why students travel to the U.S. all the way from China just to spend all their time with other Chinese people!”
Christine’s dedication to immersing herself in the American high school experience has included joining the school’s Drama Club. This fall Christine was one of the lead actors in the school’s fall production of “A Night at the Wax Museum.” Christine put in a great deal of time after school and on weekends preparing for her role, all while maintaining excellent grades. She is really looking forward to trying out for the spring musical also!
Christine’s love of fashion led her to volunteer to be a model in the school’s annual fashion show recently. She enjoyed it very much, even though she did not enjoy the dress she was chosen to model. Over the summer, Christine found out that she had been selected by Nordstrom into their highly competitive “fashion ambassador” program. From the Nordstrom website, “The Nordstrom Fashion Ambassador program gets you involved in aspects of advertising, marketing, buying, merchandising, public relations, selling and visual display, giving you a dapper leg up as you think about career options. Because knowledge—and style—is power.” Christine meets with the program once per month and has greatly enjoyed learning from guest speakers about how the fashion industry works, and gaining insights into marketing and advertising.
Christine also has a strong relationship with her host family. The family brought Christine with them on a trip to Wisconsin in November. She will also join them in Florida over her winter vacation, and have a chance to relax by the beach and enjoy warmer weather. The host family finds Christine to be a wonderful and engaged addition to their family.
If you’re a Cambridge Network member school, host family or student and would like to share your story, please contact Katie Chen at [email protected].
