Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am is spearheading a major new U.S. initiative to encourage American kids to study in China.
The I Gotta Feeling hitmaker joined Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the Mendez Learning Center in California on Monday (21Nov11) as part of a 100,000 Strong Initiative event.
Los Angeles will join in a federal initiative to increase the number of American students studying in China, and 10 kids from the high school will be among the first to participate.
Impressed by the students' Mandarin studies, the hip-hop star said, "Go out there, collaborate, dream. Make a plan to execute, to come back home and tell your cousins, your nephews... just what you're learning. They're going to be proud of you... Let's not mess around. Let's go."