Student studies Korean abroad through State Department program

A Hot Springs student is studying Korean in South Korea this summer courtesy of a scholarship from the U.S. State Department.

Luke Nester, a rising senior at Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, has been awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship for 2018-19 to study Korean in South Korea.

The scholarship is awarded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

According to a news release, out of more than 3,300 applications from across the U.S., Nester was chosen as one of 670 students who will study Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Indonesian or Russian abroad this coming year. Nester will receive formal language education, live with a host family and be immersed in the culture of South Korea.

Nester, who is currently in South Korea, said he initially heard about the program through faculty at ASMSA, but researched it further and found the opportunity was something he was very interested in. The process to get in, he said, was fairly thorough.

“The first round consisted of an

intense application with a letter to a host family, essays, parent statement, and a teacher recommendation,” he said via email. “A few months after submitting that application, I was selected as a semifinalist. From there, I had to complete an interview and medical evaluation. After that process, I was finally selected as a finalist for the Korean language summer program in Jeonju, South Korea.”

Nester said he has always had an interest in studying abroad, though he never had an interest in studying Korean prior to this program.

“The program places an emphasis on ‘critical languages’ which are languages that the State Department deems essential for Americans to gain fluency in to promote communications and diplomacy,” he said. “I never had any specific interest in Korean; however, I have had an interest in East Asia from a recent trip to Hanamaki, Japan, through the Hot Springs Sister City Program.”

Nester has studied both Spanish and Japanese, and through more research he realized that studying Korean would give him exposure to another language, especially a language that is deemed “critical.”

“I also thought it would be interesting to compare Japanese language and culture to Korean language and culture,” he said. “I’m always eager to explore a new culture and to be immersed in a language.”

Going into his senior year, Nester said he is unsure of what he wants to pursue as a career. Regardless, he said he believes understanding and embracing other cultures is essential to any career and necessary to be a world citizen.

“I have however considered a career in foreign service with the State Department,” he said. “Since this program is implemented partially by the State Department, it gives me a connection to the State Department and hopefully gives me opportunities for internships or other scholarships that may prove useful for a career in the State Department.”