My Life as a Korean-American Student

My mother and father were born in Seoul, where they fell in love and decided to get married. In 1980 they moved to the U.S.A., due to the escalating tension between the government and the citizens of South Korea. My oldest sister was born in Seoul, however, my middle sister and I were born in the U.S.A. I attended elementary, middle and high school in a small town called Amherst, Massachusetts. I attended the University of Hartford, a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut.

As a requirement for graduation, every student during their junior year had to obtain an internship outside of the university.  I was fortunate enough to land an internship at the nation’s largest health insurance company, United Healthcare. During my time I was able to work with numerous senior level executives. They were so impressed that I was offered a job with the company before I graduated. I accepted the job offer and started working at the company post-graduation.

After working for four years as a financial analyst, I decided I wanted to go back to school for my MBA. When I was younger, I also dreamed of moving to South Korea in order to learn more about my culture and ancestry. After doing some research I was able to find a scholarship that fulfilled my hope of furthering my education in South Korea. That is how I came to apply for the Korean Government Scholarship funded by the National Institute for International Education in South Korea. I was accepted into the program, and for the past year I have been learning Korean at Chonnam National University. I will be attending Yonsei University in the fall to earn my MBA.

I have been taking Korean classes for about seven months. However, having grown up with Korean parents, I already have a familiarity with the language, so it has not been too difficult for me to learn. I did not feel comfortable accepting a scholarship without giving something in return to the citizens of South Korea, so during my study in Gwangju, I have been volunteering my time at the Haein Temple. I genuinely love spending time with the children there and feel as though I am not only a teacher, but also a student. I hope that I can help them build a bright future and I hope to continue to keep in contact with them even when I move to Seoul.  In all honesty it was a bit difficult for me to get used to living in Korea due to the many cultural differences, but I feel very blessed to have been given this opportunity and already feel a deep connection to my ancestors here.