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Prestige Academy is not just a typical test prep institution. It is a place that genuinely cares about each student’s growth and practices education that positively transforms their lives. Director Youngho Lee originally came to the United States to study theology but unexpectedly entered the education academy industry. Since then, focusing on SAT and college admissions consulting, he has operated multiple campuses across the U.S. East Coast and Korea, practicing education under the philosophy that this is “where children’s transformation begins.”
Through an interview with Director Youngho Lee, we explore how Prestige Academy grows not just as an educational institution but also alongside the local community.
Q&A
Q. What inspired you to start the academy, and what is its core philosophy?
A. I originally came to the U.S. to study theology, but due to financial circumstances, I had to pause my studies and started tutoring to make a living. By chance, I entered the academy scene, and seeing students improve their grades and gain college admission convinced me that education can truly change people. From that moment, I established the philosophy that “where we are is where children's transformation begins,” and I set the goal to change many children’s lives through the academy.
Q. What are the core values and operational philosophy of Prestige Academy?
A. We emphasize four core values:
Q. What sets Prestige Academy apart from others?
A. Our biggest difference is the data-driven personalized management. After each class, an automatic report is generated analyzing each student’s strengths and weaknesses, providing individual feedback. Good teaching is important, but “management” is equally crucial. Our teachers, staff, and system work organically together to manage students efficiently.
Q. How do you handle staff recruitment and organizational culture?
A. We select people who align well with our culture and vision through onboarding and probation periods. We value not only skills but also mindset and willingness to grow. We actively support leadership opportunities and new project participation for employees because we believe internal growth drives the organization.
Q. You’re also active in community activities beyond education, right?
A. Yes. We hold parent seminars, mentoring for children, and volunteer programs. We especially focus on programs that help restore and strengthen parent-child relationships. We conduct regular monthly seminars and operate social contribution projects, such as support programs for refugee youth.
Q. What is your view on the potential of K-Education on the global stage?
A. Korean-style education’s strength lies in problem-solving training and analytical skills. While American education builds broad foundations, the Korean model focuses on exam types and problem analysis for effective learning. Combining the strengths of both models gives us strong competitiveness in the global education market.
Q. What are your plans for growth and challenges ahead?
A. We plan to expand campuses in Virginia, Texas, California, and actively develop online education platforms. Since the pandemic reduced resistance to online learning, we aim to offer more efficient and economical models to benefit more students.
Q. When do you feel most rewarded as an educator?
A. When former students visit years later to express their gratitude. Knowing our efforts truly impacted their lives gives me deep fulfillment and appreciation for this work.
Q. What future vision does Prestige Academy pursue?
A. Beyond improving grades, we aim to educate children to take charge of their lives. Education is not just knowledge transfer but a journey to support self-understanding and autonomous life design. We want to share this journey with many people.
Q. How do you cultivate and maintain organizational culture?
A. With campus expansion, we recognized potential culture dilution and systematized our mission—“where children’s transformation begins”—and our four core values, sharing them with all staff. We consistently communicate and uphold our philosophy and culture through onboarding, regular team meetings, and internal forums.
Q. What decision-making criteria do you apply as a leader?
A. Simplifying complex problems is key. I always clarify choices into two options and decide quickly to reduce errors and increase execution. This mindset is promoted across the organization.
Q. How do you support employee growth and leadership development?
A. We provide projects and leadership opportunities tailored to individual interests. Those who want to lead are engaged in planning and operations to foster responsibility and autonomy. We design growth paths through internal promotions and campus expansion opportunities.
Q. What changes and plans followed recent investments?
A. After securing $1.2 million from a Korean education company, we intensified education system development and U.S. expansion plans. We are opening centers in high-potential areas and strengthening online systems to improve time and cost efficiency.
Q. What are the features of Prestige’s online education system?
A. Moving beyond lecture-centered teaching, we are developing a flipped-learning hybrid system combining self-paced preview/review content and short, focused live classes to maximize learning efficiency. Automatic reports and personalized management enable care for large student bodies.
Q. Can you introduce a memorable community program?
A. Our refugee youth adaptation support program stands out. It offers learning opportunities to students facing language and cultural barriers and establishes a mentoring structure between Prestige students and refugees, fostering mutual learning and empathy. It’s a meaningful project that naturally instills values of sharing and compassion.
Q. How do you nurture leadership in children?
A. Leadership develops through experience. We assign study and presentation leader roles to give students responsibility. Our philosophy teaches leadership as contributing to the community, not just standing in front.
Q. How is the parent-child relationship recovery program operated?
A. Monthly parent seminars cover education direction, communication methods, and generational understanding. Based on real counseling cases, we guide parents and children to empathize and understand each other, with customized support via individual counseling.
Q. What is your personal philosophy on learning and growth?
A. Learning never ends. I study new fields like coding and online platform development on my own and adapt to generational changes through reading and research. Lifelong learning means flexibility and a will to grow.
Q. What does Prestige believe is the core of true education?
A. Education is beyond simple knowledge transfer; it is a process that nurtures children’s ability to live independently. Academic improvement is just a result; true education supports self-understanding and autonomous life planning.
Conclusion
The story of Prestige Academy vividly shows how education can transform individual lives and grow communities beyond simple success stories. Director Youngho Lee’s philosophy and practice prove that data-driven and human-centered education can harmoniously coexist. They also confirm the expansion potential and value of K-Education within the Korean-American community. We look forward to seeing Prestige’s mission as “the starting point of change” shine brighter in American education.
