Sedique Popal

KCI Board Member
Univ. of San Francisco/ Univ. of California, Berkeley

PROFILE:
Sedique is Professor of Linguistics and Education at the University of San Francisco School of Education, where he received the Outstanding Educator Award. He is also an instructor at UC Berkeley, and has trained teachers in English and Applied Linguistics over the past 30 years in six countries, including South Korea. Originally from Afghanistan, Sedique has two sons and lives in SF with his wife.

What motivated you to get involved with KCI/IIC and join the Board?

I learned about KCI and The Intercultural Institute of California (IIC) through Kenny Song [IIC’s Director of Education], who was my student and advisee at USF. The more I learned about the organizations, the more interested I became to join their Board and contribute to their missions. I also have a special connection to Korea — of the six countries where I have taught during my career, teaching in Korea has been my very best and unforgettable experience.

What is your vision for the role of KCI and IIC in the Bay Area’s community?

I believe there are opportunities for both KCI and IIC to play greater roles in achieving their respective missions by diversifying and expanding their programs, creating new courses, and attracting more students. For example, IIC could add courses in Vocational English as Second Language, English in the Workplace, etc. Such courses would be beneficial for the community, since the Bay Area has such a diverse immigrant population.

For KCI, we could develop a “Heritage Korean Language Program” for children of all backgrounds to learn Korean. Perhaps we could also eventually explore the possibility of helping to add Korean into foreign language programs at the K-12 and community college levels, given the growing popularity of Korean.

How would you like to contribute to KCI and IIC’s missions?

I would be delighted to help both organizations with curriculum and course development, as well as advise on how to implement new programs and initiatives. I could also help KCI’s Korean language teachers gain greater skills and effective techniques for foreign language instruction and enhance their students’ communicative competence in Korean. I look forward to working together with the Board to make a difference.