Teens swap visits on entrepreneurship

One year ago, 20 students from China came to the United States to pair up with 20 counterparts in Connecticut to learn more about entrepreneurship and the global economy. Next week, the 20 Connecticut students will go to Shanghai to do the same thing.

The American students are part of the Junior Achievement international exchange program's first-ever exchange between the US and China. They will reunite with the Chinese students in Shanghai and visit businesses, attend workshops led by academic and business leaders and work together on research.

The students will also visit Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall and the US Embassy in Beijing. They will make field trips to the Shanghai Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Engine Maintenance Company and the Pratt and Whitney Management Company in Shanghai.

"By working together, the students from both countries will advance their understanding of the cultures and dynamics that fuel global marketplaces, and will be better prepared for the jobs and opportunities ahead," said Lou Golden, president of the Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, in a statement. "We are delighted to collaborate in this innovative and dynamic student exchange program, and we are fortunate to have such great partners as JA China and United Technologies Corp."

Junior Achievement is a youth organization that works across the US to help students in kindergarten through high school, teaching them skills in financial literacy and work readiness. The students participating in this exchange are part of the JA Global Connection, which is sponsored by United Technologies Corp (UTC), a Connecticut-based aerospace technology products company.

This exchange program will be based in Shanghai's Fudan University; last year's was at Yale University where students heard lecturers from Yale, UTC and other Connecticut-based businesses. They also visited the New York Stock Exchange, the TV sports channel ESPN, and an agricultural center in Connecticut.

Students for the Connecticut program came from Sheehan and Lyman Hall high schools, and were chosen through an application process.

Joelle Mark Anthony, who will be a senior at Sheehan and whose father is a computer engineer at Pratt and Whitney, told China Daily that she is excited about visiting UTC facilities in Shanghai to see how people do business in China.

Leah McKeegan, who will be a junior at Lyman Hall, said she anticipates visiting the US Embassy in Beijing, which will brief the students on doing business in China. "It's exciting to understand how business is being conducted there," she said.

Xie Liping, president of UTC China Aerospace, said that China is one of UTC's key markets, so the exchange is an important aspect of the company's business.

"We believe this program will help students from both countries better understand one another. Through our diversified courses, we hope to encourage students to innovate and develop into bright additions to UTC and to society," she said.

One of the students' mentors, Daniel Turcotte, who is also a UTC business and industrial employee, said that he is thrilled to help students visit UTC's facilities in China. "It has been a great experience being with students who are so open to new ideas and eager to learn," he said.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 08/01/2014 page2)