First lady Michelle Obama urged students to visit China at the "100,000 Strong" China Study Abroad Forum at Howard University. President Barack Obama announced the "100,000 Strong" Initiative during his 2009 visit to China. The program aims to increase the number of American students studying in China by making study abroad more affordable. During the event at Howard, Mrs. Obama spoke about the importance of studying abroad. "Studying in a country like China is about so much more than just improving your own prospects  in the global market. The fact is that with every friendship you make and every bond of trust you establish you are shaping an image of America projected to the rest of the world and making America known better." she said. Mrs. Obama encouraged students to set aside the opinion that studying abroad is for "rich kids only" or for those attending "certain schools". The first lady also announced that the Chinese government is giving 10,000 "Bridge Scholarships" to cover costs for American students studying in China. Some students who had studied in China shared their experiences. David Marzban from Pepperdine University recalled a time when he formed a cross-cultural bond with a complete stranger at a restaurant near Fudan University in Shanghai. He noticed a young chef signaling him to come over. "He pressed the play button on his media player and started singing California Dreaming and wanted me to sing along with him," Marzban said. "At that time I knew a great friendship had started during my first two weeks in China." Nicole Baden from Howard University recalled how her time in China really helped her master the language. "You have to experience the culture while learning the language to really master it to understand why things are how they are compared to your own culture," Baden said. 12-year-old Sarah Davis, who studied in China last summer, said she was very excited to hear Michelle Obama talk about the country. "I love Chinese. Out of all the languages I've learned, Chinese is the most difficult and interesting." She said. According to Mrs. Obama,   _  .
American students used to be unable to study abroad Studying in China can make American students' future better the Chinese government will offer all the US students scholarships American students' studying in China helps improve the relationship between China and the US