Student Activities
KGK: East Asian Studies Undergraduate Students' Association
KGK stand for Kanpai, Ganbei, Konbae or "cheers" in all three of the East Asian languages (Japanese, Chinese and Korean). The KGK is a departmental association that acts as a liaison between the Department of East Asian Studies and the students within the department. It also provides support for the students in East Asian Studies and hosts social events to create a fun, welcoming environment between all disciplines.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail us at: kgk@ualberta.ca and we will be happy to assist you!
To participate in meetings, stay up to date with department events, guest speakers, study abroad opportunities, and other East Asia related information, please like, follow or join us on any of our socials in our Linktree.
Executives:
Hi everyone! My name is Bao Tran (she/her) and I’m a third year student with a major in Psychology. I’m the VP Design of KGK for the upcoming school year and I look forward to making wonderful memories with everyone!
Growing up, my sister introduced me to manga and anime which has greatly influenced my art style and music taste. I would draw my favorite characters over and over again until I ran out of pages in my sketchbook while listening to Vocaloid music on my iPod Nano. I’ve also been into designing presentations since middle school and the process of bringing themes and ideas to life brings me great joy.
There hasn’t been much opportunity to be creative and immerse myself in artistic endeavors since entering university so I’m looking forward to pouring myself into art and design once again and sharing my work with everyone! I also hope to create vibrant illustrations that spark joy in others, to share the happiness that drawing and creating has brought me.
Sup, yall! I’m Max Hiew (He/Him), and I’ll be your KGK Vice-President Outreach this year. (Some of you may recognize me as the brother of last year’s VP Outreach!!) I’m currently going into my 4th year of a History major/East Asian Studies minor- and of course, one of my areas of interest is in Chinese history. I’m particularly interested in the Qing Dynasty (currently trying to teach myself Manchu and Classical Chinese) and re-enacting the era. As the VP Outreach of KGK, I hope to help others build an appreciation for East Asian Culture. I’m looking forward to meeting and interacting with yall!
Chinese Conversation Club
Meeting details can be found in the social media group.
Drop-ins of all levels are welcome at any time in the year!
The club is a resource for any individuals currently learning Mandarin who want to practice their oral Mandarin skills in a fun and casual environment. We also welcome native and advanced Mandarin speakers to join us as facilitators.There are no fees associated with the club.
Currently, the Chinese Conversation Club (CCC) is run under the KGK: East Asian Studies Undergraduate Students' Association. For more information, please contact us at kgk@ualberta.ca.
Japanese Conversation Club
Discord server: https://discord.gg/V8w3FRa
Meeting details can be found in the social media group.
Drop-ins of all levels are welcome at any time in the year!
The club is a resource for any individuals currently learning Japanese who want to practice their oral Japanese skills in a fun and casual environment. We also converse for an hour in English to benefit any Japanese speakers looking to improve their spoken English. There are no fees associated with the club.
Currently, the Japanese Conversation Club (JCC) is run under the KGK: East Asian Studies Undergraduate Students' Association. For more information, please contact us at kgk@ualberta.ca.
Korean Conversation Club
Discord server: https://discord.gg/k68wjmg
Meeting details can be found in the social media group.
Drop-ins of all levels are welcome at any time in the year!
The club is a resource for any individuals currently learning Korean who want to practice their oral Korean skills in a fun and casual environment. There are no fees associated with the club.
Currently, the Korean Conversation Club (KCC) is run under the KGK: East Asian Studies Undergraduate Students' Association. For more information, please contact us at kgk@ualberta.ca.