2022 Korean Class & Korean American Culture and Society Class Scholarship Essay Contest

 

Korean Education Center in Los Angeles (KECLA) is holding an essay contest to encourage and grant scholarships for outstanding students in Korean class, Korean American Culture & Society class, and after-school Korean class. Please refer below for criteria and details. 

Attention Teacher's Recommendation Form: Each school is allowed to submit up to 10 essays.  Teacher's Recommendation Google Form: https://forms.gle/fSfMDxPz65Rmf5C59  This form can only be filed by the Korean class/ Korean American Culture & Society class/ after-school Korean class teacher. If any faulty recommendation is found, the school and district will be notified. KECLA will verify all teachers' information. This year, we are not holding the Summer Trip to Korea Program due to COVID-19.  Please understand that your safety is our first and foremost concern.   Award Ceremony: In case we are unable to hold an in-person award ceremony due to the pandemic, we will mail out the award certificate to the awardee and have an online award ceremony.

1. Purpose 

• To encourage and award outstanding students in Korean class, Korean American Culture & Society class, and after-school Korean class.

2. Eligibility 

• Middle school and high school students who attended school in the United States for at least four years and enrolled in Korean class/ Korean American Culture & Society class/ after-school Korean class. The teacher must submit a recommendation form for the student through the google form. 
• A student who has received an award in the past is only eligible for a higher award.
  • Hunminjungeum Awardees from previous years are eligible for the 2022 King Sejong Award and Hangul Grand Award. 
  • King Sejong Awardees from previous years are eligible for the 2022 Hangul Grand Award. 
  • 2020 Trip to Korea Awardees are eligible for the 2022 Hangul Grand Award. 
  • Hangul Grand Awardees from previous years are not eligible to apply. 
  • If any faulty recommendation/application is discovered, the school will lose the privilege to participate and be excluded from this program for three years.

3. Criteria (Has to satisfy all three)

• Students must have attended school for at least four years in the United States. 
• Currently enrolled in Korean class/ Korean American Culture & Society class/ after-school Korean class.
• Has a great interest in learning the Korean language and culture. 

4. Scholarship Category: 

• Hangul Grand Scholarship (1st Place): Award Certificate + $300 Scholarship
• King Sejong Scholarship (2nd Place): Award Certificate + $200 Scholarship
• Hunminjungeum Scholarship (3rd Place): Award Certificate + $100 Scholarship

5. Review Criteria: 

• Class grade (based on Fall 2021 and Spring 2022) 
• Essay (Korean or English) 
• Korean class and after-school Korean class students: you must write at least three sentences in Korean. 
• Korean Class teacher's recommendation form 
• Number of years taken the class. 

6. Required Documents: Incomplete applications will be excluded from the review. 

• Student Application form: 
  • Fill out your information and upload your essay at student google form: https://forms.gle/CWDVwTG2mD3eohf98 
• Student Essay: 
  • Double-spaced, Times New Roman, font size 12, two pages max.
  • Name your file as: First Name_Last Name_School Name
  • Korean class and after-school Korean class students: you must write at least three sentences in Korean. Korean paragraphs can be handwritten. If you handwrite your essay, scan it and upload it as a PDF file. 
• Teacher's recommendation form: 
  • Teachers must fill out their recommendation form through the teacher's google form: https://forms.gle/fSfMDxPz65Rmf5C59.
  • Each school is allowed to recommend up to ten students. 
  • This form can only be filed by the Korean class/ Korean American Culture & Society class/ or after-school Korean class teacher.
  • If any faulty recommendation is found, the school and district will be notified.
  • KECLA will verify all teachers' information.

7. Deadlines and Submissions 

• Due Date: 3/23/2022 (Wednesday 11:59 PM)
• Submit by google form: 
  • Student application form and essay: https://forms.gle/CWDVwTG2mD3eohf98 
  • Teacher's recommendation form: https://forms.gle/fSfMDxPz65Rmf5C59 
    • This form can only be filed by Korean class/ Korean American Culture & Society class/ or after-school Korean class teacher.
    • If any faulty recommendation is found, the school and district will be notified.
    • KECLA will verify all teachers' information.

8. Awardees Announcement:

• The result will be announced on 4/18/2022 on www.kecla.org, and each awardee and the teacher will be notified by email individually. 

9. Award Ceremony: 

• 4/29/2022 Friday (3:40 PM Check-in) at KECLA 1st floor auditorium.
• In case we are unable to hold an in-person ceremony due to the pandemic, we will mail out the certificate to the awardee and have an online ceremony.  

10. Questions:

• TEL: (213) 386-3112        
• Email: haemin.kecla@gmail.com       
• Website: www.kecla.org 

       

Guidelines for the Essay   Double-spaced, Times New Roman, font size 12, two pages max. Korean class and after-school Korean class students: you must write at least three sentences in Korean.  Korean paragraphs can be handwritten. If you handwrite your essay, scan your essay and upload your essay as a PDF file.  Name your file as: First Name_Last Name_School Name Upload your essay at: https://forms.gle/CWDVwTG2mD3eohf98  Your Korean class/ Korean American Culture & Society class/ or after-school Korean class teacher must fill out their recommendation form at: https://forms.gle/fSfMDxPz65Rmf5C59  Choose One Topic: 1) 2022년은 미국 역사상 최악의 인종 폭동, 4.29 폭동의 30주년이 되는 해입니다. 4.29폭동으로 인해 한인 업소 2,300여 개가 약탈당하는 등 경제적, 정신적으로 큰 타격을 입었고 4.29 폭동 이후 미주 한인들은 크게 변화했습니다. 한인들은 미주의 소수민족으로서 어떻게 폭동의 피해를 극복하였습니까? 4.29 폭동이 미주 이민 사회에 끼진 영향은 무엇이라고 생각합니까? 자신의 생각을 표현해 보십시오.  2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the 4.29 riots (1992 Los Angeles riots), the worst racial riots in US history. The 4.29 riots significantly impacted economically and psychologically, including the looting of 2,300 Korean businesses. How did Korean Americans overcome the damage of riots as a minority in America? How did Korean American communities change after the event? What impact did the 4.29 riots have on Korean American immigrant communities? Express your thoughts. 2) 주변에 4.29폭동을 직간접적으로 경험한 사람이 있습니까? 경험자를 인터뷰하고 4.29폭동의 경험담을 나누어 보십시오. 이야기를 듣고 무엇을 배우고 느꼈습니까? 우리 사회의 과거 아픈 경험을 통해 우리가 배울 점은 무엇이라고 생각합니까?  Do you know anyone around you who directly or indirectly experienced the 4.29 riots? Interview the person and write about their experiences with the 4.29 riots. What did you learn and feel as you listened to the story? What can we learn from the painful past experiences of our society?