How did I, someone who used to tremble with fear just stepping outside my neighborhood, end up 11,000km away from home? In Taejae’s Global Rotation program, students travel all around the world experiencing diverse cultures, styles, and perspectives.
However, the Global Rotation makes it hard for students to find internships or other opportunities for their career while moving twice in a year. They have to adapt their own strategies for their future, but it is not easy. The process of finding our own opportunities for our futures gave me courage–-something I didn’t have when I was young.
In my experience, the Global Rotation is not just for experiencing tourist attractions, trying new foods, making new friends, and studying. It also allows us to find courage and break out of our comfort zones to seize new opportunities in different places.
The rough two years of Taejae life — passing through Seoul, arriving in San Francisco, and now living in New York — can be called a moment of looking back on the past, being faithful to the present, and preparing for the future.
I had spent about half of my teenage years as the child of an incarcerated parent, and my self-esteem had been worn down greatly. Relationships were difficult, and I carried a deep sense of shame about my life. Living through days that felt like something was stuck and I couldn't digest, I eventually began writing an autobiography as a way to confront the past I had long avoided.
Starting with my co-authors, then my decade-long friends, and the Taejae people I'm so grateful for, I slowly began sharing this story I had once considered my shameful side. Through that process, I was able to see myself growing and, for the first time, felt that looking back on the past had been the right thing to do.
San Francisco, bathed in golden sunlight, was a beautiful place that lived up to its reputation as a city of community; It was where I came to understand collaboration and communication. Wanting to once again experience the happiness of playing music with others, I joined the Chamber Orchestra club at USF together with Yeju from the first cohort.
As we prepared for four performances in one semester, we practiced constantly, receiving weekly feedback from the professor and refining each piece again and again. Through this experience, I came to deeply understand the importance of time management and the effort required to pursue something I truly love.
The fear I had once felt about the unknown future gradually disappeared as I focused on the present. Music is an art that cannot exist without concentration in that very moment. Through music — focusing on each key I pressed on the flute and each breath I let out — I learned how to fully live in the present.
New York in the winter was a time of preparing for the future. After learning that internships would not be possible there, I felt lost for a while.
I worried that I was falling behind in a city where everything moved so quickly.
While searching for extracurricular activities related to NGOs and publishing, I came across volunteer work in the HR field. Reflecting on my studies and past experiences, I felt that HR might suit my aptitude, so I applied to 15 organizations and ultimately chose an organization called The Observatory.
As a Volunteer Coordinator at The Observatory, I help Volunteer Editors find writing assignments that match their strengths and interests by reviewing resumes, communicating with volunteers, and helping the workflow move more smoothly. Through this work, I began to understand more clearly what kind of work suits me and how important communication and support are within a community.
Looking back, from Seoul to New York, these experiences were the ones that most showed me what I love and what I am good at. Through publishing a book, I explored my interest in writing and publishing. As a member of an ensemble, I learned how to communicate and collaborate with people from different backgrounds, and came to understand the importance of community. Through my volunteer work, I realized that whether a field suits me is something I can only know by experiencing it firsthand, and my interest in HR grew stronger through that process.