A closing ceremony for the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Korean Language program took place on August 16 in the Global & Research Hub at CNU. 21 U.S. students celebrated the end of an eight-week stay in Gwangju and during that time the students, selected by the U.S. Department of State, participated in intensive Korean language lectures, cultural excursions, and language partner meetings. The ceremony kicked off with a speech from the executive director of the CNU Language Education Center, followed by a talent show put on by the students. They displayed what they had learned through performances such as singing, dancing, and playing the gayageum. Eujean Doo (Sophomore, Dept. of Sociology, University of Southern California), one of the CLS students, said, "It was a fantastic way to showcase what CLS students have been learning throughout the past two months! I was so proud of my cohort members and how much they have been able to improve so quickly. It was definitely a bittersweet moment when saying goodbye to our teachers, friends, and classmates."

By Lee You-nny, Tribune Reporter