A different perspective

Ju-Yeon Park is an international student originally from South Korea. She is in the Health Policy Management program at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (SPH). As a child, she grew up watching American movies with dreams of eventually traveling and living in the United States. Following her aspirations, she studied in France to learn English and understand western culture during her early high school years. At eighteen, Ju-Yeon continued to pursue learning the English language by enrolling in a preparatory school in South Carolina. After high school, Ju-Yeon returned to Korea and volunteered with a handicap and disability program at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea. <p” align=”left”> <p” align=”left”>

Ju-Yeon Park is an international student from South Korea

Volunteering at Sumsung Medical Center fostered her love for helping others, specifically with healthcare issues. Mr. Kim, a medical staff and close friend, encouraged Ju-Yeon to apply to the SPH. UNC was the only school of public health in which Ju-Yeon was interested and to which she applied. She was ecstatic when she got accepted and claims it has been the best experience since. <p” align=”left”> <p” align=”left”>

As an international student, Ju-Yeon is learning, not only in the classroom, but through her home-stay family and the many friends she has made at UNC. “People here are so nice!” she exclaims as she recounts her first experience driving independently after she obtained her license in North Carolina. She got lost returning home and a friendly stranger helped her with directions. “You don’t even need a GPS navigator if you get lost,” Ju-Yeon says and laughs. It is not just the language and culture that Ju-Yeon has adjusted to, but also the food -“I used to hate cheese, but because of pizza, now I love it!” <p” align=”left”>

<p” align=”left”> Ju-Yeon is currently finishing her third semester at Carolina. She says that she loves UNC and gushes about how beautiful the campus is. She always keeps a camera on her so that she can capture the special moments at Carolina. Like any other UNC student, Ju-Yeon spends her free time participating in organizations, volunteering, and exploring. She is part of Intervarsity and teaches junior high Korean-Americans English in Durham. She is actively involved with the Healthcare Executive Student Association (HESA), and is planning on attending a healthcare policy and issues conference in Chicago sometime in the spring. <p” align=”left”> <p” align=”left”>

While Ju-Yeon loves hanging out with friends in the Student Union, she has found her true niche in SPH. She met one of her best friends, Julie Golding, in the Health Policy Management department. They have grown close through taking the same classes and working on four projects together. Ju-Yeon declares that her “favorite class ever” was Dean Harris’ Healthcare Law Class. She says though it was challenging, she thought the professor was wonderful and loved every moment. <p” align=”left”> <p” align=”left”> <p” align=”left”>

After graduation (planned for this spring), Ju-Yeon plans to return to Korea and increase awareness of public health issues. She hopes to serve as a bridge between America and Korea on healthcare and health policy issues. Her experiences here have inspired her to become a professor, and she hopes to one day create a school of public health that models the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. <p” align=”left”> <p” align=”left”>

For more information on international students, check out the School’s page. <p” align=”left”> <p” align=”left”> ******************************************************************************************************* <p” align=”left”> Got ideas for stories about students? Involved in interesting events coming up? <p” align=”left”> Email Alice or Chirag, student assistants in the SPH Office of Student Affairs.