Liana Szeto, Founding Principal of Alice Fong Yu Alternative School in San Francisco
Chinese immersion education has been my life’s work. I began my career in 1984 as a kindergarten teacher in our nation’s first public Chinese immersion program, a small pathway housed at West Portal Elementary School in San Francisco. In 1989, I received a Title VII grant, which funded my position as the program’s resource teacher for five years. During those early years, I dreamed of opening a school that was entirely devoted to Chinese immersion. That dream materialized in 1995, when the local community and school superintendent encouraged me to found the nation’s first public Chinese immersion public school – now known as Alice Fong Yu Alternative School (AFY). I have been the school’s principal ever since.
In 2012, I was honored to receive the prestigious Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding Leadership from the United States Department of Education. That same year, AFY received the National Blue Ribbon School Award and the California Distinguished School Award. In 2016, AFY was named a California Gold Ribbon School. Our world-class K-8 language immersion school now serves close to 600 students, and I am incredibly proud of how far we’ve come.
In 2000, our 8th grade class embarked on an inaugural journey to China through our Cultural Exchange Program (CEP). This journey has become a rite of passage for our graduating class. Regardless of family income or resources, all AFY 8th graders have an opportunity to travel to China during Spring Break. There, they participate in a homestay program, live with a Chinese family and attend the local school. Educators have recognized this signature practice locally and globally.
Throughout my career, I have worked as a consultant for the Education Department at San Francisco State University. I also worked for the Peace Corps as a consultant and provided teacher training in Chengdu, China.
I advocate for foreign language instruction in all elementary schools because language is a key that will unlock and connect people from around the world. Together with an outstanding group of professionals and a dedicated community, AFY puts this idea into practice everyday – bridging cultures and building community.