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Turlocker celebrates international education in China
Matthew Jacobpic2
Turlocker Matthew Jacob takes a 'selfie' with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at an event commemorating the 35th anniversary of the re-establishment of educational exchanges between the U.S. and China. - photo by Photo Contributed

Turlocker Matthew Jacob recently traveled far beyond city limits to the Great Hall of the People in China to talk international education at the Commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the re-establishment of educational exchanges between the U.S. and China.

As a student at the University of California, Berkeley Jacob spent time abroad at Peking University in Beijing and was selected as one of a handful of students as a successful international education representative. Jacob was in the company of several instrumental leaders and notable figures in American and Chinese culture including Secretary of State John Kerry, retired NBA basketball player Yao Ming, the People’s Republic of China’s Vice-Premier Liu Yandong, as well as several American and Chinese diplomats.

It was rather apropos that just as Jacob was leaving for China California State University, Stanislaus played host to 12 students from the Hubei University of Economics located in Hubei Province, China. While at the Turlock university the students took American Culture and Language classes as well as finance courses taught by faculty of the College of Business Administration.

“This Valley… is already pretty well connected to China. The nut growing industry is a huge industry with tremendous exports to China,” said President Joseph Sheley who facilitated the exchange. “It’s one thing to talk politics of the U.S. and China but it’s another to meet Chinese students and realize how similar they are to our students.”

Jacob echoed this sentiment and as a candidate running for the Turlock City Council he aims to continue this increased cultural exposure in the community and is optimistic about the rise in economic opportunities between Turlock and China. 

“I was delighted to hear that California State University, Stanislaus has opened its doors to visiting faculty and students from the Hubei University of Economics. Our campus community is demonstrating outstanding cultural competency by working to further bridge the gap between China and Turlock,” said Jacob. “As the world’s fastest growing economy with an ever expanding middle-class of consumers, the demand for Turlock’s agricultural products in China can only continue to increase moving forward. This is an exciting time for our local farmers and businesses with a global vision, as it is an exciting time for the Turlock economy at large.”