From Saigon Junior Activist to Top SKY University

Running an Autism Awareness Club since Grade 5, Jee Won Kim has grown up as a strong and constructive leader in social justice activities and will officially step into one of the top SKY Universities (YONSEI University) in Korea next September.

We will look back at her learning journey at the Canadian International School (CIS) where Jee Won naturally gained more interest in society and global issues beyond academic excellence. Next year, she will major in Political Science and International Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul.

How did you explore your interest in social activities?

My school (CIS) has various platforms for students to learn and explore, ranging from academic competitions sports teams, and volunteering opportunities. At CIS, I was a big part of the Global Issues Network (GIN) program. I have participated in GIN since Grade 5 by running a GIN Club called the Global Autism Awareness (GAA) Club. As time passed, I naturally became more interested in our society and global issues, which led me to join the GIN Council for 5 years, in which I was the President for 3 years. Joining the GIN Council at CIS gave me bigger opportunities to participate in GIN events, such as hosting the Saigon GIN Conference 2017 and 2018 with over 400 participants from all over Southeast Asia, the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Fair, the Christmas Fun Fair, and the Spring Fair. 

What particular event inspired you the most? 

My favorite activities out of everything throughout my GIN experiences were the Saigon GIN Conference 2017 and 2018 and attending other GIN Conferences in Vietnam. By having the opportunity to host a great event with over 400 participants from all around Southeast Asia, I had the chance to meet such amazing and talented people from all around the world who had the same passion as me, and it was amazing to put our ideas together to come up with solutions for different global issues.

The process of planning this event was very tiring and difficult. Still, I have learned a lot of things from this event, such as the mindset of always being prepared and learning to communicate with adults and businesses. 

What do you learn from that experience?

With a chance to interact with new people in a new environment, I have also learned that the world outside of CIS is much bigger than what I am in right now. To create a change in this world, things have to be approached from different perspectives because different cultures have different interpretations and values in their lives.

When did you start to plan your university applications? 

CIS supports all students in university because they truly care for us and encourage us to pursue further education in the field we are passionate about rather than trying to fit it in terms of our academic abilities.

During my application, the CIS Guidance Counselors were my biggest support. To submit an application in Korea from CIS, I was required to get documents from both CIS and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) for my Grade 12 year. As a student here since Grade 1, the counselors helped me gather all the important documents, certificates, and volunteer hours from the TDSB in Canada. They also helped me by writing university letters about personal issues. University applications for Korea can be very confusing, but I promise it will be easy if you and CIS work together with all the deadlines.

Political Science and International Studies are the top majors at Yonsei University. How did you prepare for this?  

CIS has a lot of courses that relate to social studies, and as a student who loves studying social studies, I enjoyed all of my course selections throughout high school. Some courses that I enjoyed and sparked my interest in this field were Civics and Careers, Business, History, English, and Challenge and Change in Society. These courses focus on the world around us and our society, which is great preparation for my program next year. 

Not only that, but CIS is a very diverse community with students from all over the world. CIS teachers are always trying to relate Canadian education to our own culture, allowing students to focus on Canada, Vietnam, or Korea and open themselves to various cultures. Despite the COVID pandemic, the students always get the best support from CIS to obtain impressive results for graduation.

Moving forward, I hope to use the skills I’ve honed over the past few years to be involved in studies involving life and social sciences”.