Another in a continuing series of Q & A interviews with Trinity faculty, staff and administrators.

Located in Sheehan Hall, inside room 251, you will find various Chinese decorations and posters hung up along with almost everything in the room being labeled in Mandarin. Mrs. Yinghao Dong, known as Lao Shi Dong to her students, is Trinity’s teacher of Chinese. She is bilingual, with English her second language.

In her second year at Trinity, Dong, who teaches level I and II Chinese during three classes on White days, continues to perfect her use of English daily.

Zachary Crumes: Where in China are you from?

Mrs. Dong: I come from Wuhan, the biggest city in the middle of China

ZC: What was it like growing up in Wuhan?

Mrs. Dong: I grew up there, received my education there, and had many experiences there before I moved to the United States.

ZC: Where did you go to college?

Mrs. Dong: I graduated from the Wuhan Conservatory of Music in the dance department. I majored in dance performance and education.

ZC: What do you like most about China?

Mrs. Dong: Our Chinese culture. I majored in Chinese dance. When I was very young, I got into a professional dance school, and we learned about the Chinese language and Chinese classical and folk dance. All of the cultural aspects of China are my favorite.

ZC: Have you been back to China, or do you often go back to visit friends and family?

Mrs. Dong: Not yet. It’s now been eight years since I’ve gone back, but my parents and parents-in law visit every year.

ZC: What made you decide to move to Kentucky?

Mrs. Dong: I followed my husband. When he got his Ph.D., he found a job here, and we all moved here with him. 

ZC: What was it like learning English as your second language?

Mrs. Dong: It was hard for me to communicate at first because when I first came to the United States, I didn’t know any English. I had to learn English with my son when he was very little. We would read books, and I mostly just followed him.

ZC: Why have you worked so hard to learn English?

Mrs. Dong: Communication is very important, especially now that I’m teaching. I want to continue to learn and hopefully pass some English tests in the future.

ZC: Did you always want to become a teacher?

Mrs. Dong:  Yes. When I was very young, my dream was to become a teacher, but specifically at the time, I wanted to be a dance teacher. When I went to college, I enrolled myself in the class, and after that when I came to the U.S., my first job was a Chinese teacher and also a Chinese dance teacher. I really enjoy teaching.

ZC: Why do you think students should enroll in the Chinese class?

Mrs. Dong: I think they should because the Chinese language is becoming a trend. We now have a lot of people learning and speaking Chinese, and it’s the most spoken language in the world. It’s a very cool skill to learn.