Photo courtesy of Kalisha Dent
Name: Kalisha Dent
Major: International Studies
Expected to graduate: Spring 2026
Hometown: Tennessee
What language did you receive a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship to study?
I received a FLAS fellowship for Korean from the UW East Asia Center.
What cultivated your interest in this specific language and region?
I lived in Korea when I was younger, but I didn’t pick up on the language. I only knew the basic phrases and reading, so when I got older and thought about learning another language, I decided that I would restart learning Korean.
How has FLAS supported your personal or professional goals?
FLAS allowed me to immerse myself with the language. I felt like I had stalled in my learning, and I really wanted to get past this block. One of my goals is to become fully conversational, able to communicate about complex, but not necessarily everyday topics. Receiving the FLAS scholarship definitely helped me work towards that goal.
What was it like experiencing your fellowship experience abroad?
It was really fun going abroad to learn a language. I felt like I got a really deeper understanding of the culture and it was really beneficial to use Korean in my everyday life. Even if you have a language partner in the U.S. that you can practice with, the experience is so different when you’re actually in the country.
What was your favorite memory or most meaningful moment?
One funny memory of mine is when I was shopping in Olive Young in Seoul. I was looking for something for my mom, but as I was looking, these two older Korean ladies came up to me and gave me a compliment. When I responded in Korean, they sounded so surprised. To be honest, this isn’t a rare occurrence in Korea, but I felt so excited when I was talking to them because I could understand everything.
