Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 7, 1991 TAG: 9102070126
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JUSTINE ELIAS/ SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Long
Jia Liu, the student with the longest commute to the Southwest Virginia Governor's School for Science, Mathematics and Technology, makes this 90-minute journey every weekday.
And after she passes her county's high school, she still must travel another 45 minutes through the mountains until she's home in Troutdale.
But Liu, 17, has made longer journeys than her daily trip to school. Three years ago, her family moved from Shanghai, China, to Troutdale.
Liu had studied English for several years, but she had to put it into practice quickly to adapt to classes at Grayson County High. "You have to," said Liu, who is fluent in English now. "In order to make friends, you have to learn English."
Liu was one of 40 Southwest Virginia students selected last summer to attend the Governor's School in Pulaski County. She'll be in the school's first graduating class in June 1992.
She attends morning classes in Dublin and returns to Grayson County in the afternoon to study English, history and Spanish.
Liu is accustomed to changing schools; she has done it seven times. "Everywhere I go I have to catch up," she said in an interview during her science independent study period.
In China, her parents - both scientists - were given assignments in different cities. Liu lived with her mother, a chemist; her younger brother stayed with her father, a biomedical researcher.
Her parents' jobs would last one or two years; then they'd be transferred. "Each time, they tried to move closer together," Liu said.
Liu's schedule once allowed her to run track and play intramural volleyball. This year, with three hours of driving daily, she must to concentrate more on academics.
To get to school by 8:30 a.m., Liu rises at 5 and leaves home by 6:15. Her mother drives her to Grayson County High, where she catches the 7 a.m. car pool to the Governor's School.
At 11:30, she gets a ride back to Grayson County, arriving by 1 p.m., sometimes right in the middle of her history class.
All this for a three-hour school day in Dublin.
She is a member of the Governor's School Ecology Club and the science and math academic team. Liu hopes to attend the University of Virginia or Harvard and eventually study medicine.
Governor's School director Michael Bentley says Liu approaches her work with maturity and dedication. "Jia is a self-starter," he said. It's a quality that makes her an ideal student for the Governor's School. "Our curriculum is not based on the content of Advanced Placement exams. It's a much broader education. It looks more at thought."
Liu's long commute may be an inconvenience, but it hasn't hindered her school work.
The Grayson County School Board pays $2,500 tuition for each of four students it sends to the Governor's School, and about the same amount for their transportation.
"I really appreciate what they've done for us," Liu said. "I know without my family's help and the county's help, I couldn't go to this school."
Liu also thanks David Anderson of Troutdale, a family friend, for helping her adjust to life in Western Virginia. Anderson helped Liu get her driver's license, which, Liu said, is essential.
"That was the first thing I noticed when I got here," she said. "Everywhere, you see cars."
Cars were rare and impractical in Shanghai, a city as busy and crowded as Manhattan. "We all used bicycles," she said.
Liu said American students have "more freedom" than those in China. Chinese students attend classes six days a week and have shorter summer vacations.
As national exams draw near in China, teachers sometimes ask students to stay from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and hold Sunday review sessions.
Liu also found differences between U.S. and Chinese media. Television in China includes extended news broadcasts, educational shows, sports, series and movies.
"Compared to the news here, they usually show good stuff," said Liu. "Yesterday, the news here told about how [some Americans] were anti-war. They showed them burning the flag. In China, they don't show that."
Political unrest, such as the 1989 student takeover of Tiananmen Square, is not covered in depth by the government-controlled media. Chinese citizens probably learned something of the government crackdown, Liu said, but not everything.
The well-traveled Liu has visited New York, Niagara Falls, Atlantic City, N.J., and Philadelphia and hopes to see more of the country.
Right now, though, she is focusing on high school.
As a class project, Liu and other students are studying the ecology of the New River Valley.
Her favorite subjects are environmental science and astronomy, and she praises the Governor's School's roster of guest speakers.
In math class, Liu is using graphs to help study probability and statistics. "I never thought those things were important when I was in algebra," she said. "We're learning something that is helpful in real life."
by CNB