This spring, the (KLFC) at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa secured $1.3 million to advance Korean language education. On May 1, the Defense Language National Language Education Office announced Flagship programs awarded a four-year grant. KLFC is the sole Korean language Flagship program bestowed the competitive grant and is one of just 19 language Flagship programs nationwide.

Among a plethora of opportunities KLFC extends to students is a one-year Capstone program in Korea. This July, five UH Mānoa students will participate in the Korean Flagship Overseas Program at Korea University in Seoul. Christine Mau and Keziah Yoo received the prestigious Boren Scholarship which will help fund their study abroad experience. The coveted award provides funds for undergraduate students embarking on international study in regions critical to U.S. interests. Both students follow a long line of Boren scholars from UH Mānoa.

Mackenzie Migdal, a dual major in political science and Korean at UH Mānoa completed KLFC’s program in 2023.

“I’m proud of who I have become. Learning different languages expands our linguistic abilities and broadens our cultural horizons, fostering empathy and understanding. Languages connect us to the world, and I’m thankful to the Korean Language Flagship for teaching me this,” said Migdal who graduated last summer.

Matthew Eteuati, currently immersed in the Korean Flagship Overseas Program, hopes to work for the federal government, where he can utilize Korean language skills to forge new connections and develop contracts that are mutually beneficial to multiple parties.

“The results achieved through international cooperation, regardless of the field, are exponentially larger than alone,” Eteuati said. “A superior proficiency in Korean language will allow me to bridge the two countries politically and industrially.”

More on KLFC

Since its inception in 2002, the KLFC has been a beacon of excellence in language education, aiming to cultivate specialists with superior-level proficiency in Korean. Through immersive language learning environments, tutoring programs and a one-year Capstone program in Korea. The center has nurtured a generation of professionals and scholars deeply connected to Korean language and culture.

The KLFC accepts applications year-round. Those interested in dual undergraduate degrees, Korean proficiency improvement, an overseas program and internship in Korea, or professional career opportunities are strongly encouraged to apply. Flagship applications can be submitted to the website.

KLFC is housed in the UH Mānoa .

A technology center on the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� campus that is blazing an innovative trail for interactive language learning in the U.S. received a $1.1 million award for its 2021–22 programs.

The (Tech Center) in the College of Arts, Languages & Letters surveys the latest trends in educational technologies for language learning to help The Language Flagship programs across the country designed to shepherd undergraduate students of any major to achieve high levels of language proficiency upon graduation. The award is provided by the Defense Language and National Security Office of the U.S. Department of Defense.

“This new award will allow the Tech Center to move forward with its unique inter-institutional initiatives, which are fostering an active community of innovators that approach technology integration from novel perspectives,” said Julio C. Rodriguez, director at UH ����ԴDz� Tech Center.

The Tech Center works with a network of 31 Flagship Programs at 23 higher education institutions across the country, including two programs at UH in Chinese and Korean. The center encourages the design and implementation of cutting edge, technology-based learning experiences as well as the innovative use of existing tools.

“The Tech Center is a critical component in the pursuit of the ambitious Flagship goals of achieving high levels of language proficiency in a short amount of time,” Rodriguez said.

The center also collaborates with language experts across academia, government and the private sector, to share best practices, lessons learned and research findings. That collaboration has resulted in the development of the Blueprint for Success, guidelines for technology integration for academic programs and federal initiatives.

• Related UH News story: International language education tech competition at UH ����ԴDz�, February 1, 2021

In September 2021, the Tech Center hosted a hackathon for Language Flagship students and alumni, challenging them to design games to help students overcome common obstacles encountered when learning a language. Part of the Tech Center’s award will go toward the implementation of several ideas generated at the hackathon event into applications for students to test in summer 2022.

This research is an example of UH ����ԴDz�’s goal of Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

The University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� , the first Korean language and culture education center in the U.S., received another (NSEP) grant to support the program through 2024. The funding, which includes the grant and additional student support, is worth approximately $4 million.

NSEP was established within the U.S. Department of Defense to support and develop expertise in languages and cultures critical to U.S. national security and international competitiveness.

The first flagship grants were awarded to universities in 2002 for Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Russian; UH ����ԴDz� was selected for Korean. Since then, the center has been a leader in Korean language education, dedicated to training students with high proficiency in Korean to become the next generation of global Korean specialists.

In spring 2007, at the request of NSEP, UH ����ԴDz�’s non-degree program was transitioned to the Korean Language Flagship Center. The center immediately developed the flagship MA degree program in 2007 and the flagship BA degree program in 2008, in cooperation with the . The Korean flagship undergraduate program consists of coursework, followed by a one-year overseas capstone component. The center also offers various study abroad scholarships in addition to ROTC flagship scholarships.

The Korean Language Flagship Center cultivated more than 200 Korean specialists as of fall 2019. Due to COVID-19, it swiftly and safely relocated program participants back to �鶹��ý in early March 2020. Faculty and staff implemented a domestic immersion program for students to complete their capstone experience that will keep them on track to successfully finish the program in June 2020 with professional proficiency in Korean.

—By Karin Mackenzie

The National Security Agency (NSA) acknowledged the as one of its select featured college campuses on September 3, becoming one of just four campuses nationwide. The official start to the program is September 4.

NSA �鶹��ý commander Captain Kurtis A. Mole delivered a letter of recognition for the work that UH Mānoa has been involved in since 2007. UH ����ԴDz� is also an NSA/Department of Homeland Security Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research.

“The University of �鶹��ý is very honored to have been selected by NSA as a featured school,” said UH President David Lassner. “We have developed an exceptionally strong partnership with NSA that is helping students at every level from K—12 to higher education develop interests and skills in cybersecurity. This not only prepares �鶹��ý students for great jobs with NSA, one of our major employers, but also helps strengthen �鶹��ý’s overall cybersecurity across the public and private sectors.”

“We view our relationship with UH Mānoa as critical to developing the talent necessary to address the national security challenges of the future,” said Mole. “In addition to helping military and civilian employees improve their language skills, UH Mānoa is collaborating with us on cutting edge research, and they are training the next generation of cybersecurity experts.”

UH Mānoa has trained nearly 275 NSA employees in a specialized cohort program in Korean and Chinese in the past five years. The intensive six-week courses improve skills in language and culture, and can yield up to 16 credits toward a college degree. More than 60 UH ����ԴDz� graduates currently work at NSA.

Learn more about the partnership at the NSA .

The University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� (KLFC) has announced that Jennifer Lee, Brianna Leisure and Kai Hong So have won to support their 2018–2019 KLFC Overseas Capstone Program at Korea University in Seoul.

Valued at $20,000 each, the scholarships are an initiative of the National Security Education Program that allows American undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. security.

Jennifer Lee
Jennifer Lee is a former chemistry major who discovered her love for the Korean language. Lee spent the summer of 2017 studying abroad in Korea. That year, North Korea conducted 23 ballistic missile tests, which tremendously impacted Lee. She believes using her language skills for the nation’s security and protection is most important and would like to see more Americans with a high level command of Korean.

Brianna Leisure
Brianna Leisure is a Korean Flagship major who values the opportunity of studying abroad with a goal of achieving native proficiency in Korean. Leisure aspires to work as a language analyst for the federal government.

Kai Hong So
Bilingual in English and Cantonese, Kai Hong So became passionate about the Korean language while participating in a study abroad program in Busan, South Korea. This experience inspired So to continue studies at the KLFC. In summer 2017, he studied abroad again at Korea University. After completing his bachelors, So plans to work using his language skills, while also pursuing a master’s degree in Korean Flagship.

Lee, Leisure and So will travel to Washington, DC to receive their awards in June. They join an auspicious list of previous KLFC Boren scholars from UH ����ԴDz�: Danica Lim (2009), Bowha Kang (2010), Tyler Miyashiro (2013), Ryan Tanaka (2016) and Eloise Morris (2017).

The Korean program in the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�ʻs is the largest and strongest in the country in terms of faculty, curriculum and degree programs. The program’s trains American students to speak Korean as professionals in their chosen academic or professional fields.

In addition to extensive overseas study and intensive courses at UH ����ԴDz�, flagship students earned scholarships to continue their academic work at UH and abroad:

• Aaron Allen (ROTC-Flagship scholarship)
• Jennifer Lee, Brianna Leisure, Holly Moehlman, and Benjamin Yi (Foreign Language and Area Studies summer
  fellowships)
• Ingrid Adams, Kyle Akuya, Emerson Allen, Jerel Berselona, Krystal Lopez, Victoria Meza, Kai Hong So, Adam-Jacob Sojot, Erica Vinluan, and Jade Young (Korean Language Flagship Center summer scholarships)
• Lacey Bonner (Center for Korean Studies Dong-Jae Lee Scholarship)
• Xiu Ju Conney (Gilman scholarship)
• Soo Youn Kim (Center for Korean Studies undergraduate scholarship)
• Eloise Morris (Boren scholarship)
• Victoria Meza (Center for Korean Studies undergraduate scholarship)

Read more program highlights at the .

—By Dyan Kleckner

Eloise Morris of the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa  (KLFC) has been awarded the national , which will support her 2017–2018 KLFC Overseas Capstone Program at Korea University in Seoul. Boren Scholarships are an initiative of the National Security Education Program. They provide unique funding opportunities for American undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to the national security of the United States.

Originally from Colorado, Morris received the National Security Language Initiative for Youth Scholarship sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Upon entering UH Mānoa, Morris chose to major in Korean Flagship (BA in Korean for Professional). She said that she realizes the importance of proficiency in the target language for government intelligence.

After completing her BA, Morris hopes to put her Korean language skills to use by serving in the federal government in a position with national security responsibilities.

Morris looks forward to traveling to Washington, D.C., to receive the award in June. She joins earlier Korean Language Flagship Center Boren scholars Danica Lim (2009), Bowha Kang (2010), Tyler Miyashiro (2013) and Ryan Tanaka (2016).

The of the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa’s recently won a prestigious pilot grant from the King Sejong Institute Foundation, an entity of the Korean government, to promote the Korean language through teaching outside the university. The grant effectively establishes the King Sejong Institute Honolulu, which will be one of only six such institutes in the U.S.

Support by the Korean government reaffirms that the Korean Language Flagship Center is respected among higher learning institutions throughout the country. The will further enhance the flagship’s reputation, and will recognize the importance and influence of this global language.

Initial funding will allow the Korean Language Flagship Center to train adults and high school students in elementary and intermediate levels of Korean language and culture. Noncredit classes will be taught throughout the year on the UH Mānoa campus for three hours per week. Lesson topics will range from Korean food to K-dramas.

Adult offerings are part of the Korean Language Flagship Center’s community outreach efforts, while high school courses will help the center attract students to its premier and highly effective curriculum. Successful program implementation by faculty will garner renewed and additional grants from the King Sejong Institute Foundation.