In this blog post, I will summarize my academic experiences and school activities during high school, examples of my consideration and cooperation, as well as my motivation for applying and my preparation process.
Academic Experience and Reflections
I am the child of a multicultural family; my mother is from Thailand and my father is Korean. Although my mother is fluent in both English and Korean, I am more accustomed to using Korean because I have spent more of my life growing up in Korea. Thanks to my exposure to various languages and cultures from a young age, I am able to speak three languages, and among them, Korean is the one I am most confident in.
I often faced the prejudice that “I don’t speak Korean well” simply because I come from a multicultural family, and I wanted to break that stereotype, so I devoted extra effort to studying the Korean language. I wanted to personally demonstrate that children from multicultural families can excel in Korean just as much as other students and achieve high scores on both school grades and the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). So, I created a systematic study plan, dividing modern and classical literature into separate sections and summarizing the outlines of each work. I also developed the habit of consistently practicing non-fiction reading comprehension every day.
Specifically, for literature, I studied classical literature three days a week and modern literature two days a week, spending about two hours each day on each. For non-fiction reading comprehension, I worked through 10 passages every day. These 10 passages typically amounted to over 40 practice questions, and thanks to repetitive practice, my speed in tackling problems and my accuracy rate improved rapidly. This consistent practice proved highly effective for preparing for school exams, and on questions that combined comprehension and memorization, I achieved perfect scores or scores with no more than one mistake.
In preparation for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), I built up my skills to the point where I consistently maintained a Grade 1 on mock exams throughout my senior year. My friends were amazed by my ability and would even line up to ask me questions about the Korean language exam. Whenever that happened, I advised them, “In Korean, success comes down to thoroughness and time management.” I also felt a sense of fulfillment as I witnessed prejudices against children from multicultural families diminish through this process.
Description of Major School Activities and Reflections
Drawing on my personal interests, I joined the school’s eco-friendly cooking research club. Our club didn’t just stop at learning recipes; we made a conscious effort to use eco-friendly ingredients whenever possible. While we purchased some ingredients from outside sources, we grew most of them ourselves in the school garden. At first, the idea of growing my own edible ingredients felt unfamiliar, but I soon realized it was entirely feasible.
Our school is relatively close to rural areas and has a large garden, making it ideal for planting tomatoes, lettuce, onions, potatoes, and other vegetables. We grew sprouts on the windowsills of the home economics lab, while we cultivated larger quantities of common vegetables in the garden. To ensure eco-friendly cultivation, we took turns watering the plants, maintained them regularly to prevent them from wilting, and did not use any pesticides at all. When necessary, we purchased and used eco-friendly fertilizers.
Using the produce we grew, we held a cooking competition for every activity, and each team of two worked together to develop a recipe. We formed a panel of judges for the competition, and I worked especially hard—collaborating with my teammate during the preparation and cooking practice—to create the best possible recipe. The experience of preparing a menu I had conceived myself in front of an audience and having it evaluated was both exciting and rewarding.
On one occasion, I made bibimbap using tomatoes, soft tofu, and sprouts. Since tomatoes were an unfamiliar ingredient, I roasted them in advance, chopped them finely, and seasoned them with gochujang. I also pureed the soft tofu to create a creamy, soup-like texture for a smooth mouthfeel. The bibimbap, which combined these three ingredients, won first place in the competition and was even praised by the club as a dish worthy of commercialization. We compiled the selected recipes into a recipe book and distributed it throughout the school.
Through club activities, I gained hands-on experience in the entire process—from growing ingredients and crafting tools to developing and distributing recipes. This experience inspired me to envision conducting fun and practical cooking classes for my students as a future home economics teacher, and it gave me the opportunity to plan actual lesson plans in detail.
Examples of Care, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
Among the vegetables we grew in the Culinary Research Club, lettuce and tomatoes were particularly sensitive to climate change and difficult to manage. While root vegetables such as onions, green onions, and potatoes were relatively stable despite seasonal changes, lettuce and tomatoes were easily damaged even by slight cold snaps. To prevent crop failure, the club systematically carried out protective measures in preparation for winter.
First, we built a fence around the garden bed to block drafts. We gathered wood and memory foam, arranged them around the perimeter, secured the joints with nails, and added layers of memory foam on both sides of the wood to reduce the impact of drafts. After completing the fence, we attempted to build a protective structure similar to a plastic greenhouse. We bent steel into an arch to form a frame, secured it with stakes, and covered it with large sheets of plastic typically used for kimchi-making to block the wind and cold.
Since the greenhouse-style structure alone wasn’t enough, we also built a heat blanket for the tomatoes ourselves. We created quilted fabric using running stitches and backstitches to cover the plants, protecting them from freezing as the tomatoes ripened. We struggled at first because the frame didn’t fit properly, but we found solutions by researching online and dividing up the tasks among ourselves.
Through this process, we gained value far beyond simply building the structures. As we prepared the necessary materials and tools, divided up tasks, and solved problems together, our sense of cooperation deepened, and we learned to be considerate of one another and coordinate our opinions. I felt that the experience of working together toward a small achievement would serve as a solid foundation when I later guide cooperative activities in the classroom.
Efforts and Preparations Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
I applied to the Department of Home Economics Education at Chuncheon National University of Education because I believe home economics is a subject that can assess and nurture the diverse potential of elementary school students. Since home economics encompasses a wide range of fields—including engineering, technology, home economics, and the environment—teachers in this field must possess versatile practical skills and creative teaching methods. I am skilled with my hands, enjoy making things, and have an interest in working with machinery. In addition, through my participation in a culinary research club, I gained experience in researching recipes, growing eco-friendly produce, and even crafting tools.
These activities have helped me build the foundational competencies required for a major in Practical Arts Education. I have designed lessons by connecting my everyday crafting activities and club experiences to an educational context, and I have devised hands-on, practice-centered lessons that students will find engaging. Based on these practical skills and my commitment to lesson planning, I aspire to become a teacher who nurtures students’ interests and aptitudes.
My manual dexterity and hands-on experience are also tied to my family background. My mother used to make various garments and accessories by hand in Thailand, and even after moving to Korea, she continued to sew my clothes herself. Influenced by her, I became familiar with sewing and mending, and those experiences naturally developed into my ability to create things. I believe that the combination of this personal background and my club experiences has equipped me with the aptitude and preparation needed to be a home economics educator.
Furthermore, I believe that coming from a multicultural family will actually serve as a strength in the educational setting, enabling me to understand and be considerate of diversity. My multicultural experience helps me cultivate an educational attitude that respects and embraces students’ diverse backgrounds. I hope to enroll in the Department of Home Economics Education at Chuncheon National University of Education to further develop these strengths and become a teacher with excellent practical skills and educational competence, so that I can share the news of my acceptance with my mother.
