Finalists Announced!

China is the world’s oldest surviving civilization, and the Chinese language is often credited for its longevity. Studying Chinese is not only important for a greater understanding and deeper appreciation of Chinese culture but important for building bridges of friendship between the U.S. and China.

It is with much appreciation of the many teachers who have been teaching the Chinese Language in the Heartland region, often with little resources, that USHCA is launching our inaugural Heartland Chinese Teacher Award.

3 teachers from the Heartland region will be selected for the award and receive cash grants of $5,000.00 thanks to our inaugural award sponsor, LingoAce. 

We are accepting one nomination of an accredited K-12 Chinese language teacher or administrator per U.S. Heartland City. All nominees will receive a Classroom Supplies Package for participating.

Key Dates:

  • Nomination Deadline: Sept. 30th, 2022
  • Nominee Applications due: Sept. 30th, 2022
  • Finalists announced: Oct. 24th, 2022 *Updated
  • Virtual Awards Ceremony: November 19th *Updated

Meet the Selection Committee Members:

Susan_Thornton_2016

Susan Thornton

Senior Fellow for the Paul Tsai China Center, Yale Law School

Gloria Guo

Co-founder, LingoAce

Minru Li

Professor at OSU Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures

Rosie Levine

Deputy Project Director at the United States Institute of Peace

2022 Finalists*:

*In alphabetical order

Cindy Casto

Maumelle, Arkansas

Ms. Casto's Bio

Cindy Casto grew up in Shanghai, China. Casto has a Bachelor of Science from Arkansas Tech University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Central Arkansas. She has been in education for 16 years and teaching Mandarin for 8 years. She teaches Chinese for 6th-12th graders at Maumelle Middle School and Maumelle High School and Pulaski County Special School District in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her favorite quote is "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." 

Outside of school, she gifts her time and talent to her community at the local public library, teaching Chinese and the beauty and importance of culture-sharing. She has also served as a Chinese interpreter to former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Beebe, and
current Governor, Asa Hutchinson.
Ms. Casto's Bio

Dr. Alpha Edens

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Dr. Edens' Bio

Dr. Xinying Edens has been teaching second languages for 15 years in the United States and in China. She started her Chinese teaching in 2012 when a group of students from University of Oregon went to Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China to learn Chinese. After relocating to Tulsa, Oklahoma, she has worked as a Chinese teacher at Oklahoma Chinese Language Institute, Holland Hall Upper School, the East Asia Institute at Oklahoma University, Jenks Public Schools, and South Tulsa Chinese School. She is a winner of Yeh Laoshi Memorial Scholarship from Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS). In her spare time, she translated and published a book “ Train Your Brain” in 2011 and also volunteer as a reviewer of K-12 Chinese Language Teaching at USA Chinese Language Teachers Association, a Sitting President of Oklahoma Chinese Teachers Association, a Rater of AP Chinese and Rater of Elementary Education Certification, Educational Testing Service, and the Chair of Beihai Partnership to serve as a liaison between the mayor of City of Tulsa and the mayor Beihai, China.

Dr. Edens' Bio

Heidi Kuo

Muscatine, Iowa

Ms. Kuo's Bio

Heidi Kuo is a Chinese teacher in Muscatine High School and Muscatine Middle School. Heidi is a Chinese native speaker and first-generation immigrant in the United States. She earned the Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design and Communication from a Normal University, which was created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum for secondary school students. Her technical savvy in graphic design enables her to create vivid graphical Chinese materials and presentations which arouse the students’ interest and concentration. Heidi also earned a master of art degree in Radio and Television, and she attributes her excellent Chinese pronunciation when she had an internship as an anchor.

Ms. Kuo's Bio

Tungfen Lee

Carmel, Indiana

Ms. Lee's Bio

Tungfen Lee was born and raised in Taiwan and graduated from National Taiwan University. She received a Master’s degree in Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While raising and teaching her sons their heritage language, she found her calling as a Chinese teacher.  She returned to school in 2007 to pursue a teaching license at Indiana University, Bloomington. In June 2009, Tungfen completed the teacher training program and accepted a position at Carmel High School. During her tenure there, the Chinese program has grown steadily from 50 students in 2009 to nearly 150 students in 2022.  Mrs. Lee has furthered her own education as well, attending summer teacher training programs at the Chinese Institute at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 2011 and the Chinese Teacher Training Program at Nanjing University, China in 2012.  In 2017, she received instruction at an Advanced Placement (AP) Conference in Chinese Language and Culture at the Oakton Community College, Illinois.  In 2021, she completed two ENL courses at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.  She participated in IB (International Baccalaureate) Ab Initio training at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University.   Besides teaching, Tungfen also works as a Chinese translator for an environmental education company. She has served as an AP Chinese reader at the College Board annual exam reading in summer 2019 and 2021

Ms. Lee's Bio

Yan Wang

Lexington, Kentucky

Ms. Wang's Bio

Yan Wang is a certified Chinese teacher at Dixie Magnet Elementary School in Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS), Kentucky. She holds a master's degree in education and a master's degree in Russian Language and Literacy. Ms. Wang has 20 more years of teaching foreign language experience in both US and China.  She serves as district lead Chinese teacher,  co-director of FCPS STARTALK Student Program. She is a board member of Chinese Language Association of Secondary and Elementary Schools (CLASS). Ms. Wang is passionate about developing student's Chinese language skills and intercultural competency. Her leadership has made a significant impact on the Chinese teaching field in district, state and national levels. Her dedication to the field was well organized. She received 2019 CLASS outstanding Chinese Teacher Award, named as KY-NNELL Teacher of the Year in 2019 and Kentucky Outstanding Chinese Teacher in 2012. In spare time, she enjoys photography and traveling with family and friends.  

Ms. Wang's Bio

Virtual Awards Ceremony:

Voting for People’s Choice Awards:

Nov. 19th, 2022

11-12pm CT

Coming soon…Stay tuned! 

Click here to Register
Voting Coming Soon...
Nominate Your Teacher Here
Teachers apply here

Process:

  1. The first step in the award process is to get a nomination. Nominate your teacher (or yourself) by submitting your nomination via this new form here: https://form.jotform.com/222084935779166
  2. Once the teacher has been nominated, the teacher will also need to submit an application form by themselves. That form is here: https://form.jotform.com/222215912475049
  3. Lastly, it is important to note the teacher’s application will be best supplemented by a support letter from your mayor (or a school administrator). If you need help getting this, we are here to help! (We recommend contacting us.) Those with questions can contact Jason Conley at jconley@usheartlandchina.org.

2022 Sponsor

Learn Mandarin Chinese with LingoAce

LingoAce is an online language learning platform where kids ages 3-15 can learn Mandarin Chinese 1:1 with a professional teacher. Aligning with globally-recognized syllabi, their expert-designed curriculum engages learners with games, interactive storytelling and other interactive multimedia.

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