6 days Ago By [email protected](KoreaTimes)
By Jhoo Dong-chan Outstanding elementary school students Maeng Ye-lin Maeng is future talent in translation, interpretation, bridging gap between Korea, Vietnam Born to a Vietnamese mother and a Korean father, Maeng Ye-lin is a sixth grader at Seoha Elementary School in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province. Maeng is a proven influencer and leader with an energetic vibe, leading her school as president of the student council for the second semester of the year. She has also spearheaded the school’s latest campaign for a peaceful education environment without any types of violence, especially verbal.
Influenced by her translator mother, Maeng has displayed her passion in different cultures and languages. She has actively participated in various online interscholastic classes since the third grade. Last year, she visited Malaysia to enjoy their cultural differences with local students there.
Maeng says she also wants to become a translator following her mother’s career path, not only in English but also Vietnamese. Kim Jeong-in Kim is warm-hearted leader with versatility in sports, languages Kim Jeong-in is a sixth-grade president of the student council at Daap Elementary School in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. Born to a Vietnamese mother and a Korean father, Kim often proudly represents her Vietnamese roots while boasting her linguistic potential not only in Vietnamese but also in English, as her teacher speaks highly of her steady progress in learning vocabularies and making sentences with comprehensive understanding of situations.
Her warm-hearted character is also praised highly as she is said to have responsibly taken care of her younger brother when her parents are not around. Kim’s teachers say in chorus that Kim is a very thoughtful student always able to think in others’ shoes. Kim has also displayed her athletic aptitude for sports since she won several awards in the city’s track and field tournaments.
Outstanding middle school students Kim Su-yeon Artistic, energetic Kim seeks career path in media production Born to a Cambodian mother and a Korean father, Jeju Murung Middle School’s third-grader Kim Su-yeon is an unconventional student council president with artistic talent. In her freshman year at the school, Kim performed in a band with her classmates and managed a daily bazaar to sell local specialties during the school’s summer festival. Interested in playing guitar and piano, she always loves to explore her potential in new fields.
She has also displayed her interest in conserving the natural habitats of wild animals during her extracurricular activities studying Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins living around Jeju Island. She also plays an important role at home taking care of her father with minor discomfort as well as her younger brother while her mother is working. Her teacher says she always has a forward-looking approach even when facing unexpected difficulties at school or home.
Kim says she wants to become a media producer in the future. Kim Tae-yang Powerlifting prospect Kim aims to win Olympic gold medal one day Kim Tae-yang is a third grader powerlifter at Wando Middle School in Wando, South Jeolla Province. Despite his sizeable collection of trophies not only from regional but also national competition, Kim always stays humble, continuing to work hard to achieve his dream — becoming a member of the national powerlifting squad.
His relentless perseverance to reach his goal made him a triple crown winner at the 53rd National Junior Sports Festival in May, where he lifted 100 kilograms in the snatch competition, 119 in the clean and 219 in total. Kim has now been nominated as a youth member of the national squad. Kim may not be an honors student with exceptional academic achievement, but he has always actively participated in various school activities outside of powerlifting training sessions.
His teachers say he is not only a superb athlete but also a splendid gentleman with elegant manners and a caring heart for his classmates. Outstanding high school students Lee Ji-na Lee is prepared financial expert with more than 10 related certificates Lee Ji-na is a sophomore at Wonju Finance Accounting High School in Gangwon Province. Born to a Thai mother and a Korea father, Lee is already a certified financial expert with more than 10 different related licenses and certificates in finance.
With the second-tier certificate of the Test of Economic Sense and Thinking, she has also won various certificates as a fund investment agent as well as ones in the Enterprise Resource Planning category. She says she has exceptional concentration level second to none as well as a sense of purpose when it comes to pursuing her goal of becoming a financial expert. It has driven her to collect related certificates one after another, she added.
She has also participated in various local mock investment contests to win several prizes with exceptional earnings ratios. She also plays ukulele as a hobby. Lee Ji-eun Artistically talented Lee aims to become viola-playing businesswoman Born to a Chinese mother and a Korean father, Lee Ji-eun is a senior at Doonchon High School in Songpa District, Seoul.
With her outstanding academic achievements over the past three years, Lee has been a member of the school’s student council for her exemplary lead and influence to her classmates. Thanks to her Chinese mother, she has not only been able to grow up bilingual but also had many occasions to experience different cultures especially via numerous trips to China with her parents. Despite prevalent anti-China sentiment and racial discrimination towards Chinese Koreans here, Lee always thinks positively and is building herself as a more open-minded individual on the basis of understanding the importance of diversity.
She has also displayed her talent in music, playing various instruments since she was in elementary school. Lee now plays a viola at various local orchestras as a regular member. University of Utah Award Asilakhon Sherzodovna Shadikhodjaeva Young artist Shadikhodjaeva’s positive energy is inspiration to peer students Born to Uzbek parents, Asilakhon Sherzodovna Shadikhodjaeva is a junior at Sejong High School of Art.
Despite having spent her early childhood in her mother country, Shadikhodjaeva is said to experience no difficulties speaking Korean now. Having understood the cultural differences of the two countries since she was young, she is now one of the most popular students with her open-minded character. With her tremendous passion in art, Shadikhodjaeva has participated in various art contests in and outside of school to win numerous prizes, including the grand prize at the 2023 Sejong City Public Design Contest Exhibition.
She has recently decided to major in sculpture art, developing her artistic talents in drawing, carving and design. Shadikhodjaeva is also full of academic curiosity with her hands full of a wide range of books from Western classics to cutting-edge science. Special jury award winner Oh Song-hui Devoted daughter Oh is exemplary leader for classmates Gwangju Daeja Middle School’s third-grader Oh Song-hui is a devoted only daughter to her single father.
Despite her two-men family’s challenging environment, Oh is an energizer with a positive attitude having always done her part when her father is not at home for work. Her teachers said their hearts were touched every time Oh says she is doing her best to help her father especially when he is busy with work. She does not get private lessons or attend cram school classes because she does not want to burden her father, but has managed to keep her GPA in the top rank of her classes with an exceptional work ethic at school.
Oh is also her school teachers’ favorite in-class book reader thanks to her beautiful and calm voice. She says she wants to become a voice actor in the future. Semoon Chang Award winner Nia Joshua Arabella Versatile quadrilingual Arabella is born leader aiming to become doctor Born to Malay parents, Nia Joshua Arabella is a sixth grader at the School of Global Sarang in Guro District, Seoul.
The school is a special elementary school for kids from multicultural backgrounds. Fluently speaking four different languages, including English and Korean, Arabella has always been there for her friends who experience communication difficulties due to language barriers. Her teachers say she helps them not only because of her quadrilingual ability but also her warm-hearted nature that drives her to do so.
She is now president of the school’s student council while having naturally developed her exemplary attitude to become a model student for her classmates. Arabella has also participated in various volunteer and civic education programs such as a food sharing charity and the 119 safety course. She says she wants to become a doctor in the future.
Korean Association for Multicultural Education Award winner Kim Won-hee Kim overcomes adversity with handwork and warm-hearted nature Born to a Vietnamese mother and a Korean father, Kim Won-hee is a third grader at Samgye Middle School in Jangseong, South Jeolla Province. Apart from her scholastic excellence, Kim is praised highly by her teachers for her warm-hearted nature and positive influence. She always takes care of her younger sibling when her parents are working.
Kim is also said to have never taken any cram school classes due to the family’s financial status, but has always topped the entire school with her exceptional academic achievements over the past three years. Along with an endless list of prizes for her academic achievements, Kim also showed off artistic talent in Jangseong’s latest essay contest by winning the grand prize in the middle school division. She also won the World Vision’s postcard drawing contest.
Outstanding organization winner School of Global Sarang provides educational opportunities for outlier students of multicultural backgrounds The School of Global Sarang is a government-certified alternative school designed especially for students with multicultural backgrounds. The school was founded in 2011 to help 90 culturally, social and educationally outlier students who experience difficulties adapting to the Korean educational system. It has provided various programs, not only a general curriculum and various Korean classes by level but also counseling sessions for young students who feel insure, to raise them as members of society.
The school offers entire precollege education courses. Currently, 60 elementary school students study in six classes, 100 middle schoolers in 14 and 110 high schoolers in 14. They are from 24 different countries.
“Local schools often label students who experience difficulties in speaking Korea as underachievers,” the School of Global Sarang said in a press release. “We teach Korean as well as other languages. If necessary, we also provide various experience programs to help them better adapt to Korea.
They are also important members of our society.” School of Global Sarang students are not subject to pay tuition even if they are undocumented or not granted refugee status..
