THE MISSION
LEADERSHIP
To empower our students by providing them with the tools and support to be leaders in their communities
IDENTITY
To foster a strong and confident sense of identity in our students as Asian Americans
COMMUNITY BUILDING
To build a supportive and compassionate community driven by our students
Student Testimonies
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"I applied to the WAFL Program because of my fear of public speaking. It was a great opportunity for me to practice speaking in front of others."
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"Through WAFL I felt my own confidence in my Asian American identity grow."
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“The WAFL program has been the highlight of my freshman year! I'm so grateful that I found this program and was able to participate in it.”
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“I feel so connected to our WAFL community.”
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“Thank you for the opportunities you gave us all this year. I'll definitely remember WAFL and all that it did for me even after I finish high school.”
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"WAFL taught me that it’s important to talk about social issues, and that it is our general duty to educate those who do not know much about these issues."
✦ "I applied to the WAFL Program because of my fear of public speaking. It was a great opportunity for me to practice speaking in front of others." ✦ "Through WAFL I felt my own confidence in my Asian American identity grow." ✦ “The WAFL program has been the highlight of my freshman year! I'm so grateful that I found this program and was able to participate in it.” ✦ “I feel so connected to our WAFL community.” ✦ “Thank you for the opportunities you gave us all this year. I'll definitely remember WAFL and all that it did for me even after I finish high school.” ✦ "WAFL taught me that it’s important to talk about social issues, and that it is our general duty to educate those who do not know much about these issues."
What We Do
Student Scholarships
KAYF awards scholarships to our graduating seniors and to students who have gone above and beyond every school year. We are able to provide these scholarships to our students through the generous support of KAYF’s donors and sponsors.
Public Speaking workshops & the annual Speech Competition
Public speaking is an indispensable part of being a leader, and our curriculum aims to build up this skill in our students through public speaking seminars.
The Speech Competition is an opportunity for our students to not only practice their public speaking skills, but to share their opinions and experiences on a topic of their choosing. Our students hone their skills and work on their speeches to compete for a first-place prize of $1,000.
career forum
The Career Forum, a staple of the WAFL Program, is an annual event for our students to meet with Asian American young professionals working in various sectors, and to gain insight on potential careers they’d like to pursue after high school.
The panelists represent an array of professions, including STEM, business, and content creation.
College Prep Seminars
As high school students, college is on the forefront of many of our students’ minds. We aim to encourage our students and their pursuit of higher education with annual college preparation seminars by inviting professionals with keen insights to speak on the admissions process and how to write a stand-out college essay.
Asian American Identity & Student Presentations
The WAFL Program features sessions on Asian American history and social issues with opportunities for our students share their perspectives and experiences as young Asian Americans. We encourage our students to explore their identities and cultural heritage by organizing student presentations wherein they work in groups to conduct research and present their chosen topics.
Film Screenings & Director’s Q&A
The WAFL Program hosts two film screenings per year as a supplement to discussing Asian American identity and social issues. In the past, we have shown films like Jeronimo (on the Korean diaspora in Cuba), Dear Pyongyang (on the Zainichi community in Japan), and Shusenjo (a documentary about the ‘comfort women’ issue.)
The films are followed by a student group discussion and/or a Q&A with the directors of the films.
Presidential Volunteer Service Awards
The Korean American Youth Foundation is recognized as a Certified Organization by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. Every year, we offer our students the opportunity to apply for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award to recognize their service to their communities.
We are proud to share that 22 of our high school students were recipients of the PVSA in 2023.
