MP Business 2018

mp business www.MPBusinessMag.com | www.BestOfMP.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com MPB Not-So-Conflicting Cultures O nce a year, 100 or so teenagers from affluent families in China gather on the hallowed grounds of New York Military Academy, located beneath Storm King Mountain in the heart of the Hudson Valley. For three grueling weeks, they live a Spartan existence, learning how to fight, to survive and to lead, and doing it all without the distraction of cellphones, computers or electronics of any kind. The Super Commander International program is the brainchild of Aric Southworth and Jiaxin Qu. Southworth, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and a Mount Pleasant resident since 1994, was teaching at The Citadel, where Qu, whose parents own textile factories in China and Korea, was a cadet. In 2015, they combined their talent, vision and entrepreneurial spirit to found SC International, a thriving business that already has taken a giant step toward mutual understanding between two conflicting cultures. “In my military career, we tended to view China as an adversary,” Southworth said. “This is an international program that provides insight into both cultures. I believe Local Resident Helps Mold Chinese Leaders BY BRIAN SHERMAN Photos courtesy of Aric Southworth.