Exchanges with international military academies grow cadets' skills

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) partnerships with military academies around the world continue to bring opportunities for growth for UNG cadets and international cadets.

This spring, UNG welcomed the first two cadets from Korean Military Academy (KMA) and two cadets from Romania for a semester. Two cadets from Taiwan also are studying at UNG for four years.

On the other hand, three UNG cadets spent the spring semester at a pair of universities in Taiwan.

This fall another exchange will happen. Two UNG cadets will head to KMA and two Taiwanese cadets come to UNG.

"They have the opportunity to learn about cultures, how their host countries teach military science and how each nation supports one another," said retired Sgt. Maj. Terry Baumann, assistant director of global military programs at UNG. "The cadets have the opportunity to create lifelong friendships, which may result in future collaboration after graduation."

Addilyn Koonce, a sophomore UNG cadet from Stuttgart, Germany, studied political science this spring at Fu Hsing Kang College (FHK), National Defense University, in Taiwan. Koonce, who is pursuing a degree in modern languages with a concentration in Chinese for global professionals, has been excited to take in the Taiwanese culture with fellow UNG cadet Kobe Holland, who was in the political science classes at FHK with Koonce.

"The 24/7 immersion has been the best learning experience for me," Koonce said. "It forces you to use the Chinese you're learning in the classroom in real-world settings."

Koonce's goal is to be a translator or linguist in the Army, FBI or CIA.

"This experience has solidified that this is the path I want to go on," Koonce said.

Holland, a sophomore from Hoschton, Georgia, pursuing a degree in strategic and security studies, appreciated the Chinese language skills and other experiences he gained.

"We're getting that in-depth cultural experience," Holland said.

Trevor Galyon, a UNG sophomore pursuing a degree in modern languages with a concentration in Chinese for global professionals, studied at the Republic of China Military Academy (ROCMA) this semester. The Pine Mountain, Georgia, native was grateful for his experience at ROCMA, which was UNG's first international military academy partner when the schools' relationship began in December 2012.

"I pick up a lot of Chinese words much faster than I normally would," Galyon said.

For Junhyuk Ko, a senior from KMA pursuing a degree in English, the chance to practice his language skills at UNG was invaluable. As a Korean cadet who had spent three years living in Thailand at international schools before college, he was excited to visit the United States for the first time.

Ko took advanced leadership, news writing and reporting, and cellphone photography courses at UNG.

"I like to go abroad and learn new things," Ko said.

For Junseong Ham, a senior from KMA pursuing a degree in history, this was his third time in the U.S. He took English composition, world regional geography, and art appreciation courses at UNG.

"Living abroad is really helpful for broadening our perspective of the world," Ham said.

The visiting international cadets were required to arrive in the U.S. with a negative COVID-19 test three days prior to arrival at UNG. Cadets received in-depth instruction on COVID-19 protocols and rules during their orientation prior to the start of the semester. UNG cadets abroad received the same instructions and were required to attend a pre-departure briefing on COVID-19 protocols.