- Southern California Korean College Students Association
The Southern California Korean College Students Association (also known as SCKCSA and Chongdae), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the oldest and largest non-partisan and non-profit Korean-American student organization in the United States. Established in 1970, the Association is the governing body of all Southern California Korean American Student Associations (KSA or KASA). With over 1,000 active members, the SCKCSA serves as a bridge between the Korean community and student body.
General Information
The SCKCSA is made up of student bodies across twelve different campuses:
Claremont Colleges
California State University Pomona
California State University Long Beach [CSULB]
California State University Northridge [CSUN]
Loyola Marymount University [LMU]
Occidental College
University of California Irvine [UCI]
University of California Los Angeles [UCLA]
University of California Riverside [UCR]
University of California Santa Barbara [UCSB]
University of California San Diego [UCSD]
University of Southern California [USC]The Association was created as a vehicle to reinforce the Korean American community through various academic, social and politically based projects. The SCKCSA has also developed an intermediary role serving as a means of communication between college students and other community organizations like Projekt Newspeak, Leadership in Action, KASCON and the K.W. Lee Center for Leadership through student leadership initiatives and internships. These programs provide students hands on community experience exploring culture and heritage helping developing a larger perspective of themselves as an active member of the community. Members share a common passion to help strengthen community identity, awareness and leadership.
Annual Events Hosted by SCKCSA
Freshman Dance-Off
Hosted annually in November, Freshman Dance-Off is the premier club party for Korean-American college students of Southern California. First started in 1997, Freshman Dance-Off has taken place at such Hollywood venues as Avalon, Key Club, SoHo, and Level 3. The event serves to bring together the freshmen at the participating schools as well as provide them with the opportunity to meet freshmen from other Southern California K(A)SAs.
The event consists of two parts: a clubbing experience and, more importantly, a freshman dance competition. Only current college freshmen at participating schools are allowed to perform in the event. Most of the freshmen typically have no dance experience; choreographers from collegiate dance groups usually aid in creating routines and training the dancers.
Recent Winners
2007 - UCI
2006 - UCI
2005 - UCI
2004 - UCLAKorean-American Day Seminar
In 2003, state legislatures proclaimed that January 13th would be recognized as Korean-American Day, a day commemorating the 100-year anniversary of Korean immigration to the United States and the invaluable contributions of Korean-Americans to the states' cultural diversity, economic strength and proud heritage.
Hosted in conjunction with the Korean American Foundation, the Korean-American Day Seminar is the only student seminar dedicated to celebrating the many achievements the Korean-American community has made to the United States. The seminar has had workshops focused on career building, entertainment and media, and Korean culture and heritage. Keynote speakers have included Tammy Ryu, the first female Korean-American judge in California's history.
The 5th annual student seminar will be taking place on January 12, 2008, with Becky Lee (former Survivor contest and 2nd runner-up) featured as the keynote speaker.
External links
* [http://www.chongdae.com Official SCKCSA Website]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wW6PChoj8M UCI 2006 Dance-Off Winning Routine] [http://www.koreamjournal.com/Magazine/index.php/kj/2003/january/community_network/sckcsa_southern_california_korean_college_student_association KoreAm Article on Rose Parade Volunteer]
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