FRO12 LC15

Hard-working student. That is me. My special studying habit started when I was in Seoul, Korea. As many people know, education system in Korea is very hard to survive. As a 7^thgrader, I went to school, private academy, and even to the night-time studying room to stay as a top student until 2:00 A.M. “TIRED!” So I was really happy when my parents told me that we are moving to America. I just wanted to escape from this harsh reality and start everything again.

But I faced a new obstacle- English. I was pretty confident with English since I went to what so called “English-specialized” middle school in Korea. My grammar and vocabulary was acceptable but the problem was speaking. Few days after I arrived in U.S, I called pizza place to order a pizza pie. I could not speak like I wanted. “Hello? Hello?” The man angrily responded and I was just mumbling words. He hung up and called my aunt whose number was connected to the address. The man said never make a joking call again. This experience was so disgraceful. It left a scar on my confidence so I decided that something needs to change.

That was the day when I started my special studying plan. I made two versions of school notebook-one in English and one in Korean. I translated what I learned in every class into Korean to understand and study better. Since I did not fully understand the test materials, I memorized everything word to word. I repeated over and over again even during the meal time until I become perfect. Fortunately, the result was satisfying. I passed ESL in one year. I never gave up and all my efforts paid up at the end.

After these years of hard core studying, I decided to become involved in Bayside High School Korean Club. For two years, I performed Korean Fan Dance on Korean Lunar New Year Festival in my high school. Our club members put much effort to every performance and I felt so empowered on the stage. Luckily, I became background decoration team leader and later vice president and finally senior officer. Being a part of Korean club and class gave me many new opportunities. I entered numerous Korean Essay Writing contest and won many of them. I also had a chance to volunteer at Korea Taekwondo which is a Korean martial art. Four years in Korean club helped me to keep my language skill strong and set my identity.

Last row in the center is me!

Move on to some personal sides of me, I enjoy reading books especially about self – development and some philosophical contents. These days, I spend Friday morning to go to library and borrow books. I am happy when I carry bunch of books in a bag and drink black ice coffee on my way home. In addition, I love to watch Korean drama and comedy shows. These are my methods to reduce stress!

One trait that I like about myself is my organization skills. I plan ahead everything before and follow my rules to try my best on everything. I review before class, highlight notes, and study hard. However, I don’t like myself when I worry too much. I am cool with other stuff but not with studying. Sometimes, my worries make myself really tired that I wish I can be simpler in mind.

Overall, there are three words that I value most in my life: Sincerity, effort, and modesty. I believe with these three words in my mind, I can be happy and successful.