I joined Korean Culture Club, or KCC, last year as a freshman. My reason for joining was my love for kpop (lol), but upon spending every other Thursday there after school, not only did I make new friends that shared my interests, but I learned many little things about South Korea and interesting connections between us and them. Fun fact, a lot of Korean is actually derived from English, whether it be the full word or an abbreviated form of it. Something that surprised me in the first meeting was the mix of people there. It was a pretty even blend of seniors, sophomores, juniors, and freshman, and so many from different ethnicities and backgrounds. Goes to show how a simple interest can span over so many.

I remember the first info meeting vividly. First, Yudam Jeong, the president of KCC, went over how the club ran, what we did, et cetera, alongside the other officers. The atmosphere was kind of awkward, like the first day of school where you only know one or two people in the class. The presentation finished quickly, but instead of ending the meeting early, the officers decided to pull up a kpop random dance video from YouTube, and the atmosphere immediately became bubbly and energetic as people left and right came to the middle of the classroom when they knew the song playing and danced their heart out. The previous silence was broken by laughter and cheers. Let us just say the first meeting was really fun and memorable.

Yudam, the president of KCC, said, “I love how BJHS students can bond together and form strong relationships from something that they share the same interests in. The Korean Culture impacted the students and allowed them to have more enjoyment and great opportunities while attending the club, as well as to perform at the International Festival. I believe this club is one of the resources that make our school unique!” (Note: For those who do not know, the International Festival is an annual school event to experience different cultures around the globe from different clubs and the language departments.) This is Yudam’s second year as the president of KCC, and she was the vice president for two years. Sophie Huh, a secretary last year and the vice president this year said, “I’ve been a part of KCC for 3 years now. I first started as just a regular member, then I was a secretary, and now I’m vice president. It’s been a lot of fun learning about the Korean culture, the language, eating the food, and meeting new people. If anyone is interested in joining I highly recommend it it’s a very amazing club led by amazing people and every meeting is a lot of fun!” Kelsey Rhen, a secretary last year, said, “Being in KCC has been absolutely amazing. We are like an actual family. The club has always been there to cheer me up, even in my darkest times. I can always count on them.”

As a secretary of KCC this year, I cannot wait to participate in club activities and even help out with planning and organizing events! This club has been an amazing experience, and I know that this semester will open the doors for more of that. Even with our tough circumstances, we will definitely have a fun and exciting KCC semester. The diversity and energy that this club holds are unmatchable, and this club was a perfect fit for me and opened me to new things.

If you are interested in learning basic Korean, understanding Korean history and culture, listening and dancing to k-pop, watching k-dramas, or even trying Korean food, please join our Korean Culture Club information meeting this Thursday, January 14, right after school in Ms. Rowland’s room S209 from 3:30 to 4:30. KCC meets every other Thursday in Ms. Rowland’s room from 3:30 to 4:30. If you are virtual that day, you can come over to the school at that time and participate!

If you cannot come to the in-person meeting, we will have a virtual meeting at the same time, so come by Ms. Rowland’s room to get the virtual meeting link. Everyone is welcome to come and stop by! You can bring your friends and have some fun! Hope to see people there!