At Korean immersion charter school, Karen students find a ‘second home’

Eight graduates. Six musical performances. Three languages.

The 2025 graduating class at Sejong Academy was small. But enthusiasm from families filled the gym earlier this month. Students performed K-pop dances and sang lyrics to K-pop songs they had written themselves. The school’s Korean Music Ensemble offered performances in both seoljanggu, or drumming, and samul nori, an ensemble of traditional percussion instruments.

Much of the ceremony was translated into both Korean — the language the students had studied in school — and Karen, the language most of them speak at home. Yun Cho, the lower school principal, addressed the similar experiences of Korean and Karen immigrants in her graduation speech.

“I’ve been in your shoes where I was the interpreter and translator on many occasions where I didn’t feel quite comfortable, but was forced to or had to be present and speak up on behalf of my family,” she said. “And through it all, you and I kept trying, pushing through and didn’t give up. And that matters.”

Sejong Academy, a Korean immersion charter school in Maplewood that has become a haven for the Karen community, is an only-in-Minnesota story. The state has both the highest concentration of Korean adoptees and the largest Karen community in the U.S.

Sejong Academy’s founders originally imagined that the school would help Korean adoptees learn about the country where they were born. But from the beginning, the majority of students were Karen — a refugee community that fled Myanmar.

The school is now home to more Karen-speaking students than nearly any district or charter school in the state; only St. Paul Public Schools and the Albert Lea district have larger Karen populations.

At Sejong Academy, students learn Korean language and taekwondo. During the annual Korean New Year celebration, students demonstrate their mastery of Korean traditions, like janggu (drums) and sebae (bowing to elders), and hold a hanbok fashion walk. This year, for the first time, the school held a Karen New Year celebration, too.

In the school’s first year, about two-thirds of students were Karen; now, that number is closer to 90%. The school embraced its unexpected demographics by hiring Karen staff, expanding its English learner program, developing Karen cultural programs and passing school board resolutions to protect its immigrant students.

At the same time, it has recently become an International Baccalaureate school, with pathways in pre-medicine exploration and K-pop production. The school hopes the IB program will help attract more diverse students, said Brad Tipka, the school’s executive director.

The school attracts families that want to keep all their children in one K-12 school, but by the time they reach high school, some students leave for bigger schools and other opportunities. This year’s graduating class is smaller than usual. But those who stay enjoy a close-knit sense of community.

Sea Ter, the class salutatorian, transferred to the school when it first opened in 2014, when he was in second grade. He remembers noticing a difference from his old school right away.

“Automatically I could feel the teachers were way more involved and caring of students,” he said. “They really want to get to know their problems.”

The idea for Sejong Academy came from Julie Chi, a parent who hoped to create an immersion experience for her then-3-year-old twins. In 2007, after returning from a family trip to South Korea, where her husband is from, she wanted to create an opportunity for her kids to be immersed in their father’s language.

Chi knew that Minnesota had a large population of Korean adoptees, and expected they would be a logical audience for a Korean charter school. She promoted her idea at Korean cultural events, identifying people from both the Korean immigrant and adoptee communities interested in joining the initial school board.

“We were surprised that in addition to Korean adoptee families, there were quite a few Karen families who were interested,” Chi said.

Now, the school’s reputation spreads through word of mouth throughout the Karen, or K’nyaw, community.

Saw Tho Du Soe, a drug prevention facilitator at the school, said that K’nyaw families appreciated the school’s small size and safety as well as their connection with K’nyaw staff.

Some students and parents said they had chosen Sejong through a recommendation of a family member. Htoo Nay, the mother of a 6-year-old student, said she chose the school partly out of interest in Korean culture.

Though the majority of students are Karen, the school also enrolls students with Korean heritage, and some who just have an interest in Korean culture.

Rebecca Nohava said she chose the school to provide a cultural connection for her children, who are half-Korean. “I was very excited for the cultural immersion,” she said. “My kids don’t get that at home.”

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This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for a free newsletter to receive Sahan’s stories in your inbox.