The Korean Club officially started last year with a few motivated young students who had a great interest in Korean culture. Although they face many challenges, the students work together to reach their future goals.

Last year, few of the Nanakuli High school students expressed their interests in Korean culture. They brought it to the attention to science teacher, Kelli Kajiwara, so she could help the students form the Korean club.

“Last year a bunch of my freshman approached me with interests, because they were so spirited with it, I decided to do it for them and we kept in going,” said Kajiwara.

Cheyanne Cabang and Kaui Leong were two of the students who expressed the interest of starting the Korean club.

“Me and Kaui, we decided, oh we want to start a Korean Club and then we asked Ms. Kajiwara and she said yeah and together the three of us made it,” said Cabang.

Some of the main goals of the Korean club is to educate the members in the language and then some day go to Korea.

“Just to educate them in the Korean language, I think that’s what one of our main priorities. The kind of dream or wishful goal would be to get to Korea, we’re kind of looking at maybe next year possible,” said Kajiwara.

To help with the cost of the upcoming trip, they fundraise and help the community.

“We’ve been doing some, like, smaller fundraisers, we do some food sales at school. Like I said we’re doing community service, and a lot of them they’ll often donate to us and that’s what we appreciate,” said Kajiwara.

However, like many clubs, the Korean Club faces the challenge of recruiting students.

“Like there’s not many members so we don’t have that many opportunities. There’s only four of us that usually go to meetings so it’s hard to plan things together, plan activities,” said Cabang.

“Well, this was last year, we put up posters, saying that we will have the first meeting. We put it on the news bulletin to Mr. Kitsu, and that’s all we did. We spread the word through the news and around the buildings,” said Leong.

Kajiwara would like to have people not from the school who speak Korean to come to her classroom and have conversations with her students.
“Tutors?! Yes, that would be great. I’m actually in talks with some of the people outside of the school to just chat with the my kids in Korean. But first we need to kind of get a little bit more into the Korean culture like being able to read and things like that,” said Kajiwara.

If students are interested on joining the Korean Club, please see Ms. Kajiwara in E-3.