Interviewer(Q): Van Yang
Interviewee(A): Jim Zhao
Q: Tell me about yourself.
A: My name is Jim Zhao, and I am a sophomore student at Dominican High School. I am an international student and I come from China. I came here because I love playing basketball and I hope that someday I can become a pro in NBA.
Q: Do you enjoy your time at Dominican High School?
A: Yes, I do. The teachers and students at Dominican are all very nice and I am doing fine in both my academy and basket team.
Q: Do you prefer study alone or study with classmates?
A: It depends. Sometimes we are required to get into groups and work together, but I prefer to study on my own as it’ll be easier to concentrate.
Q: How well do you get along with others students?
A: I get along well with my classmates and my teammates though we don’t have much to share and talk.
Q: What do you value the most about American culture?
A: Sports of course.
Q: How does that feel to be in the basketball JV team?
A: I play as a point guard and it feels really good to become a member of the school basketball team. I got promoted to JV 1 this year, and for sure I’m going to make some big plays.
Q: How do you find the role of religion, especially in Dominican?
A: Since religion is not popular in China, I had difficulties understanding religion as I just got here. However, I did find that religion is a huge part of what Dominican is and that’s what bring us together as a community.
Q: How do you find the situation of the international students in Dominican?
A: It’s not surprising to know that most of them are from China. Though students at Dominican are really nice and well-educated, we are not surprising to find it hard to fit in due to the cultural difference. Most of us are doing fine in academy but we need to participate more.
Q: How do you find the difference between education in China and education in the USA?
A: Education in the USA gives students more freedom and involves a lot of projects and discussion that education in China lacks.
Q: Why Dominican High School?
A: Dominican High School has a reputation of its strong school basketball team and decent education. What’s more I know that several NBA players have graduated from Dominican including one of my favorite players.
Photo by Van Yang