Chris and Jenny, the driving force behind our Mandarin Chinese school, have a story that began in Meridian, Idaho. Their journey was ignited when their own children were preschool students at Little Panda Academy. Upon relocating to Utah, they faced a striking gap in Chinese language education for young children in the area. While many Chinese dual immersion programs catered to older students, there was a clear void for the younger ones.
This void became their inspiration. Chris and Jenny's passion for early childhood education and their dedication to their own children's language development led them to embark on the journey of founding our Mandarin Chinese school. Their vision is simple yet profound: to provide young learners with a strong foundation in Mandarin Chinese, giving them a head start in their educational journey while nurturing a love for language and culture. Chris and Jenny invite you to join them on this exciting adventure in language and learning.
Gina Carson graduated from Guangxi Normal University in China and holds an International Chinese Language Teacher Certification.
She currently also teaches Mandarin Chinese at Ivy Hall Academy and Bridle Up Hope in Utah, working with students of different ages and learning levels. She enjoys helping students build a strong foundation in Chinese while making language learning engaging, practical, and enjoyable.
Gina believes that every student learns differently, and she tries to create a warm and encouraging environment where students feel comfortable learning, making mistakes, and growing at their own pace.
She is grateful for the opportunity to share the Chinese language and culture with students and families in the community.
Shixiang Chen is from Liaoning province in China. He received a degree in Civil Engineering from Liaoning Provincial College of Communication. Later, he studied and received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from Brigham Young University. While at BYU, he was a T.A. for the BYU Chinese Flagship Center where he taught Chinese to BYU students. Shixiang also owns and works for Grandview Structural Engineering. In his free time he loves spending time with his family, cooking, enjoying nature, learning, and working towards his goals.
