Being proud & Scholarships

One of my closest friends made the news in South Korea, and it's not for kidnapping a member of a boy band, in fact, he kinda looks like he could be in a boy band.

I am a very proud noona right now! He has been working so hard for so long. He would be awake late night, no sleep for days working on these projects. He is a very hard worker and had a great future head of him. I can't wait to see what he does next.

For me, I've been wracking my brain on this scholarship.  I just applied to the Gilman Scholarship for language need to study abroad. I am mentally worn out and anxiously hopeful that something will come of this.

Because I worked so hard, I feel there's no reason not to share. Here is what I submitted for my scholarship to study abroad:

Studying in another country is a desire I’ve had since junior high school, when my French class had exchange students. Our class had the opportunity to go to France, but it wasn’t feasible. While in high school there was little expectation of higher education for me, since it was financially unrealistic. Therefore, when I began my college education I knew I wanted to get the best possible experience out of it, I recognize this as a once in a lifetime opportunity. After graduating with an Associate’s degree from Skagit Valley College I was graciously accepted into Western Washington University.  

I plan to graduate with my Bachelors in Communication studies and then teach to English in South Korea, hopefully near Seoul. I am perusing a minor in the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) for which I am in need of a language course and a culture credit, but my university does not offer Korean.  I have taught myself to read and write the language over the past few years, but interaction is imperative to making a language work and I know that these skills will benefit me while living in Korea. I’ve had the opportunity to cultivate some friendships with a few Koreans studying here and they have helped to grow my cultural interest during our time together. I am hoping to gain a better insight into the social culture and further my minimal language skills once I am there.

My Korean friends are proud of their beautiful country and have offered to take me around the peninsula and to teach me more about the history, culture and language. With the assistance of my closest Korean companion, I briefly visited Incheon and Seoul in 2013. While there I encountered some complications, but wouldn’t exchange the experience for anything. Due to the obstacles I faced then, I now have a better understanding of how to traverse similar complications. Since the time I boarded the plane, going back to the United States, it has been my goal to return to South Korea in hopes of another opportunity to experience and learn something new.  While studying abroad I had hopes of participating in an intensive language course, however, it is not offered. I now plan to engage in various extra circular activities to further my language skills. I will see what is available upon arrival and adjust my plans accordingly

The challenges regarding my studies are worthy of an after school special from the nineties about how, ‘You never know what will happen.’ From a young age I was responsible for my own wellbeing. Before my nineteenth birthday I went to Job Corp to have a place to live. Before my nineteenth birthday I went to Job Corp, to have a place to live. Once there I earned my G.E.D. and although I wanted to attend college, I needed to make a living. One residential advisor took an interested in my case and told me, I belonged at Harvard, and not Job Corp, but such is life.  Once there I earned my G.E.D. and although I wanted to attend college, I needed to make a living. I managed to get a nurses aid certification and a job that I loved. After a couple years as a nurse’s assistant I was severely injured and was no longer the same person physically. I have made a lot of progress since the initial injury, but I will not be able to work a physically demanding job. I have nerve damage in my lower back and although it will never be healed I am able to manage my daily life.  

Being hurt was not the worst thing that could happen to me. I was able to return to school because of the injury, with the help of vocational rehabilitation. I am much older than many of my classmates, even if I have the same energy and drive. Luckily I happen to have some intelligence, a love of new experiences as well as a sense of humor about most of the hurdles in my life. I am married with a teen-age step daughter, whom I am trying to set a good example for. I have a couple of jobs; I DJ karaoke for a small company and I take care of children with special needs. One aspect of studying overseas means that my jobs will be on hold while I am gone and my husband will be unable to support me financially. My friends and family are incredibly supportive of my future career goals of teaching English and living in South Korea. They also encourage my love for the language and culture. Studying abroad is not only necessary for my degree, it is also an experience I know I will make the most of as well as something that shall influence the way I view the world henceforth.


I don't think I would have made it though the scholarship process without my awesome dongseng Esra. She was the most amazing support I could have asked for through all of this. Thank you thank you thank you.