Through the generosity of the Heinz Endowments and the Vira I. Heinz Women in Global Leadership Program, I was able to study abroad in South Korea at the third ranked university, Yonsei University. While there, I took a class focused on East Asian Literature as well as an intensive Korean language course.
Studying abroad in South Korea became an extremely important experience for me. Growing up, I had a difficult time relating to those around me. Even as I continued into higher education, I felt as though I had to choose which side of my identity I would portray to different people. To my Asian friends, I was “too Americanized,” but to my other friends, I was “too Asian.” Before I left to study abroad, I had this notion in my head that these inner conflicts would go away as soon as I stepped inside South Korea.
But, when I arrived in South Korea, I was immediately aware of how much I seemed like an outsider – how obvious it was that I was a foreigner. My first impression of being in South Korea did not go how I imagined it would and I found myself in a situation where, yet again, I felt like I did not belong.
Being in another country while facing a similar isolation problem as I did back home, made me realize the dimensionality of self identity and the importance of community. My now understanding of my multi-faceted identity has created my passion for Asian-American identity and community building. My study abroad experience has inspired me to pursue a career that will one day focus on bringing people together based on commonalities and goals.
