A Visit from the South

In a city filled with so much history, where do you begin? That is the question I had to ask myself when visitors from South Korea came to A-KEEP (Alabama Korea Education and Economic Partnership).  

As a part of the Alabama STEM Educator Program, Professor Hae-ae Seo of Pusan National University traveled from Korea to Alabama along with her research assistant, Ah Hyeon Kim. The STEM program is a pilot program to bring much-needed science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers to Alabama from Korea. This is a partnership between the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), the Alabama-Korea Education and Economic Partnership (A-KEEP) and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea. Professor Seo is from Pusan University which is one of the four universities who will be sending their students this fall to enroll with the University of North Alabama in Florence.  

Before traveling to Florence Professor Seo and her assistant made a visit to Montgomery to meet with the Alabama partners. To my delight, they wanted a tour of Montgomery to learn about its history. As a graduate of history, I love any chance to share Montgomery’s rich history.  

We began at the State Capitol where the building has sat for over 150 years. From there we visited the Civil Rights Memorial and the Korean War Memorial. We ended our tour by visiting Rosa Park’s statue, marking the spot where she got on the bus and then we traveled to the Rosa Parks Museum, the location where she was arrested. With such a deep and rich history, it was hard to fit everything in a 2-hour tour. However, our guests enjoyed their time and were able to learn more about the city and state where their students will soon become community members. 

A-KEEP wants to thank Professor Seo and Ms. Kim for their time and interest in our city!

By Brittany Payne