The final WVC Speaks Lecture Series presentation for 2025-26 will feature Wenatchee Valley College staff member Ellie Camp presenting “Founding the Hwarang: An Ancient History of Warriors, Artists, and Disciples" on Thursday, May 21, at 6 p.m. The public is invited to this free event in the Music and Art Center’s Grove Recital Hall on the Wenatchee campus.
Founded in the early 6th century and named for their beauty, artistry, intellect, and military prowess, an elite group known as the Hwarang (花郞, 화랑) was tasked with bringing peace to the Buddhist kingdom of Silla ( 徐羅伐, 신라). Brought together by their morals and high stations, the group was raised with a set of ideals rooted in Confucian values, Buddhist teachings, and the traditional mysticism of indigenous museok (巫俗, 무속), or Korean shamanism. Camp's lecture explores how the Hwarang exemplified masculinity in Silla. By examining these youths’ lifestyles and education, this presentation will showcase the changing ideals during this period, as well as the impact of the Hwarang’s worship and spread of Buddhism on the Korean peninsula.
Ellie R. Camp (they/she) is a Wenatchee Valley native and Wenatchee Valley College staff member. They graduated Magna Cum Laude from Central Washington University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History, minoring in East Asian Studies, and they were awarded Interdisciplinary Honors by the William O. Douglas Honors College. In 2024, Camp attended Ewha Women’s University International Summer College and completed coursework in East Asian Studies.
Camp’s undergraduate thesis, “Uncovering the Flowering Youth: Exploring the Multifaceted Workings of the Hwarang in Ancient Silla,” focuses on the importance of multi-disciplinary research into the ancient Korean military-religious group, the Hwarang, and their impact on modern Korean culture.
WVC Speaks is Wenatchee Valley College’s monthly lecture series that celebrates our faculty and staff’s expertise on a range of topics relevant to life in North Central Washington. Our speakers are inspirational members of our faculty, staff, and community. WVC invites our community to come together to learn, engage with new perspectives, and connect.
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Founded in 1939, Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington and delivers relevant, innovative, and experiential educational opportunities for thriving and healthy communities. Learn more at www.wvc.edu.
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Published May 14, 2026
Media Contacts:
Marcine Miller, Executive Director, Public Information Office, 509-682-6582, mmiller2@wvc.edu