To whom it may concern,
Mr. Cedric Tyree Powell was employed at Shanghai Finance University from Sept 1, 2006 to July 15, 2007 and has completed his contract in full with our school.
When Mr. Powell came to Shanghai as an English language instructor, he was facing a big new challenge because Mr. Powell by then did not have any international experience or professional experience in teaching English. But Mr. Powell was a quick learner. He overcame the language barrier and culture barrier quickly and fit himself in his new environment very well. I believe all these can be only accomplished with strong sense of culture diversity and good international skills.
Mr. Powell was an outgoing and friendly person so it’s no wonder that he was very popular and well accepted among his students and fellow teachers. But on top of that, Mr. Powell was very good at interacting with people and had excellent communication skills. That makes him a good candidate for further teaching opportunities.
Mr. Powell has demonstrated his strong leadership during his days teaching and living in Shanghai. He was able to connect with his students very well. He hosted English corner on his own time, and organized and participated in several other off-hour activities.
I must mention a special talent of Mr. Powell that makes all these possible. Mr. Powell acquired proficiency in Mandarin very quickly. He stammered simple words like “Ni Hao” when he first arrived in Shanghai. After 3 months, he was able to bargain with street vendors and order “take-away” food by phone in fluent Chinese. Mr. Powell was picking up the Chinese Language with no formal class learning or tutoring. It was really amazing!
Mr. Powell has a true affection for China. He told me many times how much he enjoyed living here in China and loved Chinese people and culture. He is always ready to learn from Chinese culture as well as share with us the American culture.
Mr. Powell has mentioned to me several times his aspirations to see the world and interact with different cultures. I would like to support him in his quest. Please take my recommendation into account when considering his application for further employment having an international scope.
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Chen Xiong
Director
Foreign Expert Office
Shanghai Finance University
