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CelebrationChinese Student Performs At FestivalWhile in many ways Harding becamehome for students during the timethey attended, for many internationalstudents like graduate student Tiana Li, it wasstill important to be able to remember andcelebrate the culture of their home countries.One organization that strove to do this wasthe Harding Chinese Students and ScholarsAssociation (HCSSA).“We want to let all the Chinese people gettogether,” Li said. “Sometimes we get homesick,so if we can be together, that helps.”As president of the association, Li had theresponsibility of organizing events that HCSSAput on and also collecting and raising moneyfrom members and outside supporters. Thebiggest event for the HCSSA was the MoonFestival, which was put on each fall and open toanyone. Included in the course of the eveningwas a meal of traditional Chinese food andperformances by some of the students.“I asked [Chinese students] if they had anytalents and if they would like to perform inthe festival,” Li said. “Most people are happyto do it.”Li was one of the performers at the festivaland executed a Kung Fu routine for thosepresent. Her talent in martial arts began longbefore coming to Harding.“In 1994, my father [made] me do [KungFu] because my health wasn’t very good, andit helped me,” Li said. “After about two weeksI started to like it. My teacher was very funnyand made it interesting.”After her start in martial arts at the ageof eight, Li attended what she called “sportschool” from age 11 to 17 which consisted ofa routine of exercising in the morning, takingfour classes during the day and training formartial arts in the afternoon and evening. Licompeted in many competitions in China andeven won several gold medals.Though she still practiced Kung Fu aftercoming to Harding, it was not as central in herlife as it was before.“I think knowledge is more important forme,” Li said. “When you go to get a job, noone will care how many medals you won inyour childhood and teenage years. It won’thelp them do their business.”Working toward her Master’s in BusinessAdministration at Harding, Li hoped to get ajob in the states to gain experience before goingback to China. Li said she enjoyed her time atHarding and meeting new friends.“Many people think [Harding] is veryconservative, but I like it,” Li said.Through her involvement in HCSSA, Liwas able to share the Chinese culture withothers on campus.“I think it’s a really good idea because wecan show Chinese culture to America and letthem know more about us,” Li said abouthaving events like the Moon festival throughHCSSA. “If you know more about each other,maybe you’ll want to build relationships andbe friends.”Emily HauptliItalian ClubAfrican Missions FellowshipRow 1: S. Fisher, M. Scharff, J. Love (Sponsor), B. Stovall. Row 2: J. Joseph, K. Arbuckle, M. Horton, G.Jones, C. Mannen. Row 3: N. Burrows, C. McKeever, K. Cavender, R. West. Row 4: J. Hill, C. Dufrenne,D. Shackelford.Row 1: E. Hartley, A. Reeves, M. Love, J. Granberg, M. Yates, L. Shaffer, M. Dean. Row 2: J. Striclyn,J. Striclyn, T. Jones, K. Mueller, P. Mainprize, H. Watkins, K. Maynard, C. Davidson. Row 3: S. Hug, D.Kiser, B. Custer, A. Owens, S. Kerr, L. Steger, D. Bentley, L. Nossaman. Row 4: S. Barnett, N. Martz,S. Borgelt, D. Molina, C. Elder, K. Parker, E. Crooks, J. Bakke, T. Box. Row 5: B. Parker, L. Brumfield,N. Freeman, J. Amend, J. Przeczewski, K. Coffey, J. Nason, K. Davis, J. Sims. Row 6: R. Gabriel, Z.Seagle, M. Watson, J. Mendenhall, H. Dell, K. Tobey, A. Mullins, D. Reese, J. Reese. Row 7: T. Stickel,K. Holton, M. Berryman.international 219