The Journey of Advocating for Korean Language

 In seventh grade, I discovered how powerful language could be in shaping identity and community through my language studies. That year, I entered the Speech Contest with a passion that the students should have a choice to learn their heritage languages in formal school settings. For me, this started with Korean being taught as a foreign language at Punahou. Fortunately, I was awarded second prize, however, that speech was the spark that pushed me to take action beyond the contest stage.

This passion led me to take the next step: creating a petition to send to the president of my school, advocating for the inclusion of Korean in the curriculum. The petition gathered over three hundred signatures of support, both from fellow students and teachers, and thus, I pushed forward with my plan. I was determined to share my vision with a larger audience, and that’s when the opportunity to present at the 2024 Schools of the Future Conference arose.