Dr. Minh-Anh Hodge, executive director of the Tacoma School District, was awarded the 2023 World Korean Language Dissemination Person of Merit by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Seattle.
The award recognizes individuals who have contributed to the global promotion of Korea and the Korean language. Hodge gained recognition for establishing the first Korean language class in a public school in the U.S. at Baker Middle School in 1995, in collaboration with Sulja Warnick of the Korean Women’s Association.
Since then, she has continued to promote the Korean language through various initiatives, including managing Korean language classes in four public schools in the Tacoma School District. She has also facilitated the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) score recognition system for public school credits and administered the F-1 exchange program with Korean high schools, fostering academic and cultural exchanges.