“Sookmyung feels like my second home.” An interview with “Se-byeok,” an international student from the Philippines
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2022-06-22
Recently, there has been a gradual return to daily life, and it is now possible to meet foreign students again throughout the campus. These students have chosen Sookmyung to fulfill their dreams despite the greater COVID-19 difficulties they face compared to Korean students.
Today＇s interview is with a student named Se-byeok from the Philippines (a graduate student in the Department of Communication & Media, ‘22). Let＇s listen to the story of Se-byeok, who has dreamt about studying abroad at Sookmyung Women＇s University since her early travels to Korea.
1. Please tell us about yourself!
Hello. Nice to meet you. My name is Dawn Patrice Jamila Naval from the Philippines and I am a first year graduate student in the Department of Communication & Media. You can call me “Se-byeok!”
2. I really like your name, “Se-byeok.” How did you get your name?
When I first tried give myself a Korean name, I got a few recommendations, but I didn＇t like them. So I looked up my English name “Dawn” in the Korean dictionary and decided on the Korean name “Se-byeok.” I told my Korean language teacher and she also said it was a good name. Since then, whenever I introduce myself to Koreans, I use the name Se-byeok.
3. What made you decide to study in Korea?
When I was attending a university in the Philippines, I had the opportunity to come to Korea through a cultural exchange program. Since then, I have been interested in Korean culture, especially K-pop and K-drama. So after graduation, I decided to study in Korea. I studied Korean at the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines, and volunteered there as well. After four attempts for the Global Korea Scholarship, which I found out through friends of King Sejong Institute Foundation at the Korean Cultural Center, I received a scholarship and was able to come to Korea as an exchange student.
4. What was the reason for choosing Sookmyung Women＇s University in particular?
Since I went to a women＇s university in the Philippines, I also wanted to enter a women＇s university in Korea. I was always nervous whenever I was interviewed at various schools, but when I got the interview at Sookmyung Women＇s University, I got a warm feeling. So, I thought, “I really want to enter this school.”
5. What is it like to live as an international student at Sookmyung Women＇s University?
Since I wasn’t fluent in Korean, there were a few things that were difficult to adapt to at first. So I used the “Lifelong Advisor” program. The Lifelong Advisor program is also available to international students. Recently, I received a lot of advice from Professor Jae-woong Shim of the School of Communication & Media, and in addition to that, I am receiving a lot of help from foreign and Korean friends by using the Global Peer Mentor (GPM) and 1:1 language tutoring programs. In addition, I have received many words of encouragement from the teachers and professors of the International Student Service Team, and I feel much more comfortable now. I would also like to experience university festivals in the future.
6. What is Sookmyung to you Se-byeok?
For me, Sookmyung is a warm place like the Philippines, my home. While attending Sookmyung Women’s University, I felt welcomed and respected. Not only that, Sookmyung is a place where you can grow as a woman. I want to learn a lot from Sookmyung and share my Filipino culture with my classmates.
Interviewed by: 20th class Soo-mi Park (Division of Law, ‘21), 21st class Yun-oh Son (Division of Child Welfare & Studies, ‘22)
Edited by: Communication Team