Sign Language with the Shanghai Meilong Jindu Elementary Students

In the summer of 2025, president and CEO of the Crescent Gateway Association Claire Mao taught Shanghai Meilong Jindu elementary students in China the basics of American Sign Language (ASL). The initiative aims to empower these children to break down boundaries at a young age and engage interest in the importance of sign language and nonverbal communication. 

Claire Mao spoke on the importance of nonverbal communication and body language in her South Pasadena TEDx Talk Beyond Boundaries in 2024. As a freshman, she became the only first year high schooler to speak in the program and continues to encourage others to engage more deeply with their communities and the people around them through body and sign language.