The start of the 2016-2017 school year for me marked the beginning of my last semester at Korea University. After returning to the United States just before the end of 2016, the New Year held in store for me the bizarre challenge of getting re-accustomed to my home campus—as a second-semester senior. My plans changed a lot after I left UC to study abroad in 2015. Besides deciding to spend an additional semester abroad, I also realized that I would be able to graduate in three years instead of four, thanks to the AP and dual-credit courses I took in high school, distance-learning classes from UC while I was abroad, and two summer programs at Sogang University.
Coming back to campus after being away for a year and a half was a surreal experience. The major construction projects from my freshman year were completed, including the football stadium and the residence hall where I would be living, and new ones were underway. There were thousands of students who were younger than me, and I met some of these underclassmen at the first Korean Culture and Dance Club (KCDC) meeting of the semester, where we quickly bonded over our love for Korean culture and popular music. Just wrapping up their first year in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, these new friends often reminded me of my younger self. I hope that they learn as much in the rest of their time at UC as I did during mine (and also that they co-op in Asia and visit me).
I don’t know if I can pinpoint exactly when every singe change came about, but I am definitely not the same person I was three years ago when I moved into Turner Hall early to prepare for the UHP Welcome Retreat. Somewhere along the way I became much more independent. I learned to embrace things as they come, and to be more flexible when facing unexpected obstacles. I learned that taking care of my juniors is just as important as respecting my seniors, and that such respect should be given blindly, but rather after careful and educated consideration. As I move forward, I hope to continue growing and changing as a person, keeping in mind that the end of this chapter in my formal education is by no means the end of learning.
Next on my agenda is an application for Korea University’s Korean language program. I have two levels left before I finish KU’s entire curriculum, which I hope to complete before I begin a teaching contract in Korea. My time in the honors program at UC has taught me that making the effort to seize each opportunity and tap into one's full potential is the difference between simply meeting expectations and becoming extraordinary. I would like to thank everyone in the University Honors Program that has offered me advice and guidance during the last three years. The UHP has made it possible for me to pursue my passions through study abroad, and has been the highlight of my tremendous undergraduate experience. I am forever grateful.
As always, you can follow my linguistic and cultural pursuits in South Korea via my Instagram @goingseoulsearching
Go Cats!! 🐾
Coming back to campus after being away for a year and a half was a surreal experience. The major construction projects from my freshman year were completed, including the football stadium and the residence hall where I would be living, and new ones were underway. There were thousands of students who were younger than me, and I met some of these underclassmen at the first Korean Culture and Dance Club (KCDC) meeting of the semester, where we quickly bonded over our love for Korean culture and popular music. Just wrapping up their first year in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, these new friends often reminded me of my younger self. I hope that they learn as much in the rest of their time at UC as I did during mine (and also that they co-op in Asia and visit me).
I don’t know if I can pinpoint exactly when every singe change came about, but I am definitely not the same person I was three years ago when I moved into Turner Hall early to prepare for the UHP Welcome Retreat. Somewhere along the way I became much more independent. I learned to embrace things as they come, and to be more flexible when facing unexpected obstacles. I learned that taking care of my juniors is just as important as respecting my seniors, and that such respect should be given blindly, but rather after careful and educated consideration. As I move forward, I hope to continue growing and changing as a person, keeping in mind that the end of this chapter in my formal education is by no means the end of learning.
Next on my agenda is an application for Korea University’s Korean language program. I have two levels left before I finish KU’s entire curriculum, which I hope to complete before I begin a teaching contract in Korea. My time in the honors program at UC has taught me that making the effort to seize each opportunity and tap into one's full potential is the difference between simply meeting expectations and becoming extraordinary. I would like to thank everyone in the University Honors Program that has offered me advice and guidance during the last three years. The UHP has made it possible for me to pursue my passions through study abroad, and has been the highlight of my tremendous undergraduate experience. I am forever grateful.
As always, you can follow my linguistic and cultural pursuits in South Korea via my Instagram @goingseoulsearching
Go Cats!! 🐾