General information: Senior majoring in Political Science and Diplomacy and minoring in Agricultural Economics.

 My journey has been possible from the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD), which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The program is designed to support and encourage the future leaders by exposing a select group of international students to the U.S. culture, society, and educational system. The scholarship covers international travel, tuition, room and board, accident/sickness insurance, a small monthly stipend, and funding for books for one academic semester.

 1. Taking off to the other side of the world

 Saying that I was extremely thrilled can't fully describe how overwhelmed my emotion was when I heard I got selected to be a finalist in the UGRAD program from the U.S. embassy. I've gone through the selection process with application papers, essays, an interview, and English tests for about 7 months. I've been dreaming about studying abroad for a long time. Since I knew I wouldn't afford all the costs of living in a foreign country, this meant something special ? something that left me more than overwhelmed. I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to the U.S. until the last minute when I saw the sign for the Detroit Airport for a layover. I was sent to Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Virginia, a place where many historical stories are alive in the beautiful mountains, a beach, and a moderate-sized city.

 2. Life-time connections: the treasure

 Above all, my best experience came from all the people that I met in the U.S. Everyone I met brought me different perspectives and values. As it's often self-portrayed as a "Melting pot", America is the best place where you can experience the diversity from people with different backgrounds. With no nation or age boundaries, the people that I met in America were very open-minded and willing to learn who I was and where I came from. I've met people from all around the world, and when we met each other, we always shared our different cultures. (What I spoke most besides English was Hindi!) While interacting with a diversity of people, I also got to understand how people see my country, Korea.

 The best way to make friends and connections was to get engaged in a variety of activities, such as club activities, community service, and a lot of school meetings. But, the most important thing was to have a positive attitude and to be willing to learn from others. They were not only the windows into culture, but the everyday companies of my life in America. As I shared my time and feelings with them, and they regarded me as not one of international students who would come and go, but one of the true friends in their lives; I could always feel safe. And, I felt lucky to have made friends. Despite the cultural differences, as long as we had open and positive attitudes with regards to each other, we could always learn from each other, and we knew that it would broaden our perspectives. When living in a foreign country and when you are not used to the culture or the system yet, you feel like you become a little child in need of help, and your friends are always there to help you. They were there to help me whenever I had complicated paperwork, an illness, or just simply needed a ride. They made my experience and memory richer. I came to realize how hard it would have been without their assistance, and it made me want to help other international students in Korea to let them have the best experience possible while in the country.

 Sometimes, it's not difficult to be friends with the people you meet, even on the street or at restaurants! The one thing that I surprised me the most was that people are so friendly that they often say hi to random people everywhere.

 When it comes to making true friends, time doesn’t really matter, nor does the differences in culture or appearance. It's more about your heart being wide open and sharing love with others. I've truly love these people. And, I still keep in touch with them even after I came back to Korea, and we promised to visit each other sometime soon in the near future.

 3. Unforgettable experiences

 There were a lot of extraordinary experiences that I had in America.

 -General Assembly Day: the Student Association visited the Virginia Capitol in Richmond where I could experience real politics and see how democratic representation really works by directly making a voice to the politician. We talked to senators about the fundraising for ODU.

 -Model United Nations Conference: It was my biggest challenge. It was where my home institute ODU hosted the MUN conference that had more than 800 high school students from multiple states and placed them in simulated scenarios to allow them to address a crisis faced by international community. The scenarios were to challenge the students to develop situations. I took the charge of ECOSOC as a director on the day to help the chair lead the committee and take a look at the resolution papers before they were officially submitted. I was very nervous about being in charge of a big event, since I was not fluent in language and still in the middle of the adjustment to what was going on in the new place. It went successfully, since I was not so shy that I couldn’t ask for help. I was able to make good connections with ambitious people who were very interested in international affairs and experienced in many international conferences.

-UGRAD workshop: The most inspirational and passionate people I've ever met in my life were here. I've met other UGRAD participants during the workshop coordinated by World Learning in Washington D.C. The goals and values each that person brought to America were priceless and inspirational lessons for me. What I have seen from them was future leaders with confidence and belief that they can actually contribute what they have learned to making their community and the world the better place. They were likely to be engaged and did not let themselves settle down in the comfort zone, but instead they enjoy challenges. They made me feel proud about myself by being a part of this UGRAD family. We agreed that despite all the differences that we have, "We are family with the same blood color."

 4. Magic has happened

 I've never imagined only 4 months experience would bring a mind-blowing change into my life, but I actually saw that happen. The moment I unzipped my bag, I let old myself go and invited the new one in. When I hopped on the flight back home, I could sense a huge difference in myself.

-English: I would say I did everything I could do in Korea to make my English better. I managed to self-educate through readings and writings. However, when it comes to speaking and listening, there are only rare chances to have conversation with a native speaker. So, I always encountered obstacles when studying English. Since I knew this would be a perfect chance to make the use of the real language, I promised myself to become completely immersed in the environment and the language before I went to America. I remember that the only time I spoke Korean was when I talked to my parents, who don’t speak any English. It was a little awkward to speak in second language with people from my own country (not only Korean on campus but also the ones back home) . I knew I had to overcome that feeling to become immersed. My plan was successful, and by the time I finished my semester, I understood English better; I was less hesitant and able to articulate my thoughts. Now, I feel like I'm better equipped to communicate and interact with people from different countries. And, I can't stop being amazed by how we can actually understand each other with the powerful tool called language.

-Personality: The biggest change was to my personality. I used to be a shy person, but the one piece of advice from my advisor made me realize that I needed to let that shy girl go. He asked me if I would randomly talk or ask to be friends when I see international students in Korea and as you can imagine, my answer was “No!” It was not because I don't want to, but because I'm shy and worried that it might disturb them. But then, he asked me if I would be willing to help them if they ask for help, and my answer was “Yes!” The bottom line here is I should be the first one to talk if I want to make friends, since not many people find it strange or bothersome. So, I started to talk to classmates first and then whenever there was a gathering I just said hi to people and introduced myself. I had butterflies in my stomach every time that I talked to new people, especially for the first few weeks. But once I started doing it and got used to it, I became more and more sociable and had no difficulty getting along with people. On my way to the U.S., I was excited but nervous at the same time, and I was too shy to talk to people around me. I took not talking to strangers for granted. However, after 4 months of experience in America, I found myself talking to people at the airport or on the flight on my way back to Korea.

 However, the greatest gift that the experience in America gave me was I have confidence and the belief in myself now. Having been surrounded by amazing people from all over the world and getting through all the difficulties from being an international student, I've learned so many things and found myself. All that I have achieved in the U.S. has made me believe that there is nothing I can't do. And it made me want to pursue my career on the global stage with a w ider perspective to the world and the society. Above all, I feel responsible for whatever I do, because I see myself as a cultural ambassador of Korea and its culture. With my own identity on one hand and the willingness to absorb the global attitude on the other hand, I have become a true global citizen.

 I still remember every smile, every little conversation, and the small cookie that someone shared with me. The warmth that I felt is appreciation. These memories, along with the mix of other experiences, made me love people more and motivated me to be a better person to connect and serve the world. This true inspiration that mesmerized me will stay with me for the rest of my life. Even though my journey in the US is already in the past, my journey as a Global UGRAD is just the beginning, and I'm looking forward to it.