International Exchange · 國際交流

From Chicago
to Changhua

伊利諾大學音樂教育畢業生 David Martinez · 2026 年 6 月

June 2026 · 2026 年 6 月 · University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · 伊利諾大學

A music educator from Chicago stepped off a 22-hour flight and into Yangming's classrooms — and somewhere in the middle of teaching Dragon Boat customs and learning Mandarin, he decided he wasn't ready to go home.

一位來自芝加哥的音樂老師，搭了 22 小時的飛機降落台灣，走進陽明的課堂——在教端午節文化、學中文的過程中，他發現自己還沒準備好離開。

Teacher David Martinez with Principal and Yangming students at the school entrance, June 2026 — **David Martinez · Yangming Junior High · June 2026**
Teacher David Martinez with Principal and students at the Yangming Junior High entrance — the first University of Illinois volunteer to come to Taiwan through a UIUC–NCUE partnership.
David Martinez 老師與校長及學生在陽明國中校門口合影——他是伊利諾大學透過兩校合作管道來台的第一位志工。

II.

A First,
Not an Accident

先行者 · 一個全新合作的開始

When David Martinez landed in Taiwan on May 26, 2026, he arrived as something more than a volunteer English teacher. He was the first University of Illinois student to come to Yangming Junior High through a newly forming partnership between UIUC and National Changhua University of Education (NCUE) — a channel that had no formal exchange program before him.

2026 年 5 月 26 日，David Martinez 踏上台灣，他的身分不只是英語志工。他是第一位透過伊利諾大學與彰化師範大學新合作管道來到陽明國中的學生——在他之前，兩校之間並沒有正式的交流計畫。

“I'm the guinea pig, the experiment, the first one,” he said with a grin. The two institutions had the will to collaborate; David had the wanderlust to make it happen. “As long as I can go abroad, I can figure out the rest.”

「我就是白老鼠、實驗品、第一個，」他笑著說。兩所學校有合作的意願，而 David 有出國的決心，就這麼促成了這次來台。「只要能出國，其他的我都能想辦法搞定。」

He arrived just in time for the final month of Taiwan's school year — spending all of June at Yangming before his July 2 departure. Thirty-eight days. Enough time to fall in love with a country, pick up a language, and rethink the plan.

他趕上了台灣學年的最後一個月——整個六月都在陽明，直到 7 月 2 日離台。38 天。足夠愛上一個國家、學一門語言，以及重新思考人生計畫。

22hrs

Chicago → San Francisco → Taiwan
芝加哥飛台灣

Days at Yangming
在陽明的日子

K–12

Illinois PEL Music Teaching License
伊利諾州音樂教師證

First U of I volunteer via UIUC–NCUE
伊大首位來台志工

III.

Music, Teaching,
& Everything in Between

音樂教育 · 跨領域的力量

David grew up in Chicago, Illinois, the son of parents who emigrated from Mexico. He studied at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — a campus that stretches across two neighboring cities, where “you walk through both sides, sometimes you're in Champaign and sometimes you've crossed into Urbana.”

David 在伊利諾州芝加哥土生土長，父母來自墨西哥。他就讀伊利諾大學厄巴納-香檳分校，校園橫跨相鄰兩座城市，「你一路穿過去，有時在 Champaign，有時又到了 Urbana 那邊。」

He was originally admitted to a French language program — then changed his mind before school even started. He chose Music Education instead. The reason was simple: “Music is inherently cross-disciplinary. Every single discipline is inside of music.” Four years later, he graduated with a Bachelor's in Music Education and a Professional Educator License (PEL) from the state of Illinois — certified to teach music in any K–12 classroom.

他原本錄取的是法語系，但入學前改讀音樂教育。原因很簡單：「音樂本身就是跨領域的，每一個學門都藏在音樂裡。」四年後，他取得音樂教育學士學位與伊利諾州專業教師證（PEL），可在 K–12 任何年級教授音樂課。

"Music is inherently cross-disciplinary. Every single discipline is inside of music."

「音樂本身就是跨領域的學科，每一個學門都藏在音樂裡。」——David

In the Classroom at Yangming 在陽明的課堂上

At Yangming, David brought that same energy and warmth into every lesson. Students found him approachable, enthusiastic, and genuinely curious about them — the qualities that make a good teacher in any language. He taught culture alongside language: his Dragon Boat Festival lesson, complete with visuals and student presentations, was one of the standout moments of the month.

在陽明，David 把同樣的熱情帶進每一堂課。學生覺得他親切、充滿活力，對他們真心感興趣——這正是一位好老師在任何語言環境都具備的特質。他把文化融入語言教學：端午節課程搭配視覺教材與學生上台，成為這個月最令人印象深刻的時刻之一。

Teacher David Martinez teaching Dragon Boat Festival customs at Yangming Junior High, with 'Thank you everyone!' slide on screen

David Martinez teaching at the front of the Yangming classroom

Students presenting in David's English class at Yangming

IV.

Meet
Teacher David

認識 David 老師

English Volunteer Teacher · 英語志工

David Martinez

B.A. Music Education, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Illinois PEL · Certified K–12 Music · Class of 2026

Born and raised in Chicago to Mexican-American parents, David is a natural connector — sociable, analytical, and always curious about people and places. He has wanted to travel the world since before university, and sees human connection as the whole point of teaching. Coming to Taiwan was living his dream: “Being here is living my dream right now. The people of Taiwan have been very welcoming.”

在芝加哥土生土長的墨裔美國人，David 天生善於與人連結——擅長社交、善於觀察，對人與地方充滿好奇。他從大學前就立志環遊世界，認為教學的意義就在於人與人的連結。來台灣是他夢想的實現：「現在的我正在實現夢想。台灣人非常友善。」

Taiwan Through
His Eyes

David 眼中的台灣

A World Worth Exploring 值得探索的真實世界

David arrived with a worldview shaped by travel and curiosity. He sees the real world as endlessly more interesting than any book or screen — and Taiwan proved the point immediately.

David 帶著旅行與好奇心形塑的世界觀來到台灣，對他而言，真實的世界遠比任何書本或螢幕精采——台灣馬上就印證了這一點。

"I don't think we need to read fantasy books when the world is so fantastic already. Sometimes literally 5 minutes from your house, you can meet something totally different."

「我不覺得我們需要靠奇幻小說逃避現實，現實世界已經夠精采了。有時候從家門口走 5 分鐘，就能遇見截然不同的事物。」——David

The Food Won Him Over Completely 台灣食物讓他完全折服

Ask David what surprised him most about Taiwan, and the answer comes without hesitation: the food. “The food is phenomenal. I haven't found something that I'm like, 'Oh, this is bad.'” After a month of night markets, school lunches, and local recommendations, his verdict is still perfect marks.

問 David 台灣最讓他驚喜的是什麼，答案毫不猶豫：食物。「台灣食物好得不得了，我到現在還沒吃到任何一樣覺得難吃的。」一個月的夜市、學校午餐與在地推薦，他的評分依然滿分。

Learning Mandarin 挑戰中文

David has been studying Mandarin, and he's honest about the difficulty. But difficulty, for him, is a signal — not a reason to stop. “It's a hard language,” he says. “But because it has such a big hold on me, I want to win.”

David 正在學中文，他直說這很難。但對他來說，難是一個訊號，而不是放棄的理由。「這是一門很難的語言，」他說，「但正因為它對我有這麼大的吸引力，我更想征服它。」

"I'm studying Mandarin and it's a hard language. But because it has such a big hold on me, I want to win."

「我正在學中文，它真的很難。但正因為它有這麼大的吸引力，我更想征服它。」——David

Teacher David Martinez with the whole Yangming class for a group photo

David Martinez with principal and colleague at Yangming Junior High, University of Illinois banner in background

David Martinez presenting to parents and students at a Yangming school assembly

VI.

Living the Dream,
Planning the Next

夢想進行中 · 下一步

David graduated in May 2026 with a music education degree and a professional teaching license. Coming to Taiwan right after graduation meant stepping straight into an international classroom experience — one that few new teachers get so early in their journey.

David 在 2026 年 5 月取得音樂教育學位和教師證，隨即來到台灣。畢業後馬上擁有這樣的國際課堂經驗，對一位新手教師來說相當難得。

He arrived as a volunteer, taught as a teacher, and leaves Taiwan with something harder to measure: a genuine connection to a country he had never been to before, and a curiosity about what comes next.

他以志工的身分來、以老師的角色深耕，帶著一份難以量化的收穫離開：對一個素未謀面的國家，有了真實的情感連結，也對未來充滿了好奇。

"Being here is living my dream right now. The people of Taiwan have been very welcoming."

「現在的我正在實現夢想。台灣人非常友善。」——David

Yangming students and teachers wish him well on the next chapter — wherever it takes him. If it brings him back to Taiwan, he'll already know his way around.

陽明的師生祝福他在下一個旅程順利——無論走到哪裡。如果他回到台灣，他早就熟門熟路了。

With Gratitude · 感謝

Thank You, Teacher David

感謝 David 老師帶給陽明的精彩一個月

Yangming Junior High is grateful to Teacher David Martinez for his energy, warmth, and genuine enthusiasm in every class this June. Special thanks to Principal for welcoming this new international partnership, and to all the teachers and staff who made this month possible.

感謝 David Martinez 老師在這個六月帶給陽明每一堂課的活力、溫度與熱情。特別感謝校長促成這項新的國際合作，以及所有讓這個月成真的老師與工作同仁。

About this story · 故事來源: Reported from Yangming Junior High School, Changhua City, Taiwan. June 2026.
Partner University · 合作大學: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) · 美國伊利諾大學厄巴納-香檳分校
University Partner · 台灣合作大學: National Changhua University of Education (NCUE) · 國立彰化師範大學

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From Chicagoto Changhua

A First,Not an Accident

Music, Teaching,& Everything in Between