Souhaila: One of the first

Along the southern coast of France, with three languages already in her repertoire, Souhaila decided to pursue her passions and start studying Korean. 

"Two years ago, when COVID came, I started watching k-dramas on Netflix, one after another, and liked the language. I wanted to learn, to be able to understand it,” said Souhaila. “I think that is why I started to learn Korean, to understand the k-dramas and songs I was enjoying.” 

As Souhaila looked for resources online, she started learning through a website called KLearner. Little did she know, this is where she would meet Ryan and begin her journey to becoming a Hoonie. 

“I started with Ryan through KLearner and then found out through TikTok that he was teaching his own courses,” Souhaila said, reminiscing about her early Korean learning days. “At first I just watched his free videos and I saw how effective he was. I was learning so much so I decided to enroll in his Complete Korean Course.”

Through the CKC program, Souhaila found what she was looking for and so much more. In addition to the courses offered, Koreanhoon had a community of Korean learners that she was now connected to. 

“The platform is very complete for someone who wants to learn hangul,” Souhaila shared. “It’s also like Facebook just for Hoonies. We feel so special because we have our own platform. It's a good platform. Through it we have people, friends from all over the world, which is amazing. I think Ryan did well creating [Koreanhoon].”

With her Korean learning underway and her new Hoonie friends by her side, Souhaila felt her passions growing. She has been an active member of the Hoonie community since 2020 and her enthusiasm has never wavered. 

“It’s just who I am. I’m always here to support people and cheer them on,” Souhaila said, while showcasing her cheerleader energy with enthusiastic cheering poses. “I think I’ve grown by doing that. I feel like I’m doing better when I see other people becoming more confident and improving.”

Today, Souhaila uses her cheerful energy to organize monthly events for Hoonies. The events help Hoonies have fun together, get to know each other and talk about all things Korean. Whether it’s putting together k-pop trivia or hosting a karaoke night, Souhaila’s enthusiasm is infectious even through a Zoom call, encouraging everyone to be themselves. 

“My life motto is never give up. It’s hard when you start something new,” Souhaila shared. “Don’t lose your goal. You just have to visualize your goal and the obstacles are normal. Nothing comes easily in life. You can appreciate your results more when you reach the finish line because of the obstacles you overcame.”

Writer: Émilie Gille