Wei Jie

The winner in the junior high school category at Saturday’s English speaking contest is no stranger to speaking English in public.

Lan Jiao, a Junior One student from Shenzhen Experimental School, looked extremely calm and confident when delivering her speech on stage in front of seven judges and hundreds of spectators about the importance of volunteers at the Universiade.

“My previous experience in participating in English speaking competitions did help me stay calm while standing in front of a crowd to speak,” Lan said later.

She won last year’s Star of Outlook English Talent Competition, a national English-speaking contest. The competition was sponsored by and broadcast on China Central Television (CCTV).

Lan said her victory had greatly boosted her confidence, although she had long been known in her school for being good at English.

“I felt satisfactory with my performance on stage today, which was close to my expectation,” said Lan without elaborating on her expectation. “The process of participation is more important and valuable to me than the result. Being able to win is of course the goal of every contestant at the event, including me.”

She said she has been trying to improve her presentation skills by taking part in different kinds of activities. “Being able to present yourself in a clear and confident manner is a very important key to future success,” Lan said.

Born to parents who speak English regularly, Lan grew up in an English-speaking environment.

She said she was taught to speak English at the same time she learnt Putonghua. “Maybe that’s the reason why I feel comfortable to use English,” she said.

“Her ability to articulate when presenting the topic, and her confidence and clear logic in answering questions really impressed the audience,” said a judge when describing her speech.

Indeed, Lan is admired by her fellow students, who are proud to be her friends. “She speaks really good English. Every one in our school knows her,” said a classmate of Lan who did not want to be named.

Lan was chosen to act as the interpreter for George E. Killian, president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), during his visit to Shenzhen last year.

During the contest, students at the Shenzhen Press Tower Auditorium surrounded Lan and sought autographs.

“You are pretty and you speak good English. You are just my model,” said a primary student while asking Lan for her autograph.