Recent Spelman College Grad Iva Stewart-Barre to Spend One Year Teaching English in China

ATLANTA, GA (08/01/2011)(readMedia)-- Recent Spelman College graduate Iva Stewart-Barre, originally from Perth Amboy, NJ, will spend one year teaching conversational English in a public school in Shenzhen, a city of 10 million in southern China's Guandong Province. Stewart-Barre, who started the program this month, will learn Mandarin Chinese and gain a year's experience in the Chinese culture. Supported by the Shenzhen government, the English Teaching Program is the only program of its kind in China.

The program includes training at Peking University for the Teaching English as a Foreign Language in China certificate and Mandarin Chinese language; Beijing tours; housing; and a montly stipend. Over the summer, Stewart-Barre served as a resident assistant/tutor for Spelman's Early College Program.

Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts an 83 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis, authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 11:1. More than 2,000 students attend Spelman. For more information, visit www.spelman.edu.