![The Korean students met early on Sunday morning preparing for the Hollywood Christmas Parade later that night. [Source: Author]](http://www.jstudentboard.com/reporter/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/12-14-teens.jpg)
[Source: Author]
Therefore, it comes to question how we all get into the holiday spirit without the snow and freezing temperatures. Actress Kate Linder stated that the Hollywood Christmas Parade always marked the beginning of the Christmas season.
This year on November 27, the 85th Annual Hollywood Christmas took place on Hollywood Boulevard. Also this year, student volunteers from the Pacific American Volunteer Association participated in the parade in hopes to show their Korean American pride.
These Korean teens spent numerous hours on the weekends, both Saturdays and Sundays, learning how to play the Korean traditional drums and marching continuously around a field. Starting as early as April, Korean teens gathered together to learn and appreciate their culture. Although spending several hours on the weekends was physically and mentally draining, students continued to show positive attitudes as they gained an understanding of their own culture and made new friends. Participants never failed to come to practices despite their busy schedules as high school students.
The amazing beauty of this group was the fact that a lot of the students did not know how to even speak Korean, despite being of Korean descent. Therefore, this experience proved to build cultural pride in being both an American and Korean.
On the day of the parade. The weather proved to be brutal. With freezing temperatures (in the Southern California sense), winds, and great amounts of waiting, the students were able to perform and also meet other bands from across the country. That night, despite the chilly weather, the parade proved to be a success.
At the end a sense of relief, pride, and celebration overcame the students as they returned back home to prepare for school the next day. They were inspired to tell their friends what amazing contribution they had made to the Korean community in California over the weekend.
