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

This spring, Â鶹ÊÓƵ 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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ for four years.

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

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

"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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ. "The cadets have the opportunity to create lifelong friendships, which may result in future collaboration after graduation."

Addilyn Koonce, a sophomore Â鶹ÊÓƵ 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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ 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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ 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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ'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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ 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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ.

"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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ.

"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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Cadets received in-depth instruction on COVID-19 protocols and rules during their orientation prior to the start of the semester. Â鶹ÊÓƵ cadets abroad received the same instructions and were required to attend a pre-departure briefing on COVID-19 protocols.