ASG Student, Jayna Choi, Accepted to George Washington University

Hi, I’m Jayna Choi. I’m a senior at John F. Kennedy High School and I am from Seoul, Korea. I’m the founder and president of the ASG Korean Society and am currently the president of the ASG prefect board. I’m also Vice-President of student government.

I believe that Korean Society is one of the most successful clubs at ASG. We have been able to host many successful events that are highly rated by many students.

What is KS?  It’s a club that promotes Korean culture and helps Korean international students with their adjustment process to American culture. We host social events that involve Korean food and cultural celebrations.

I founded this club in my sophomore year, my first year at ASG, because there are not many Asian influences here (Greenville), in addition to the fact that not many local Americans know how to embrace or understand Korean culture so I wanted to share our culture with people.

As cliché as it sounds, I wanted to study in America because I believe it’s the land of opportunity. I knew that America provides great quality of education and diverse opportunities.

I think the biggest factor is the style of learning in American education which fits me better and is more friendly to learning.  For example, I enjoy the fact that I can choose to take many different electives in addition to my main courses. I can also learn at my own pace and level. This is very different from when I was attending school in Korea. In Korea, there is so much pressure to succeed because everything is so dependent on grades and rankings. After taking a major exam, our score report always shows how we stand in comparison to our peers. We would be ranked out of how ever many people in school, and then ranked in comparison to other schools. This creates such a fear of failure within us that it almost undermines the reason for education. People end up studying not because they want to learn but because they have to succeed.

I became so overwhelmed that I wanted a fresh start. When I came to America, I was motivated to succeed with this second chance and I haven’t looked back since.

It was my dream school for many reasons but mainly, the location of the school is what attracted me most. GWU is located in the middle of Washington DC and gives students access to political and social engagement which is very important to me. It also provides me with great opportunities for internships in my field and DC’s Cosmopolitan atmosphere.

I couldn’t believe it at first and had to keep checking the acceptance letter again and again. I thought I was dreaming the next day I woke up but I’m so glad that this is real. It was the best birthday gift ever!

Law and criminology because it’s a multidisciplinary field of study that covers many things I’m interested in like law, sociology, psychology, social work, criminal justice and political science. Even though I am not sure what major I will choose yet, this gives me the best exposure to make a decision based on a combination of my interests.

Firstly, I think I put too much pressure on myself. I was worried that I wouldn’t get into any schools. The best thing I did was to slowly develop self-control to manage this stress and now I feel a lot more confident in myself. Secondly, personal Statement writing was challenging I had no idea how to write one because it was so different from the kinds of essays we write at school.

In the beginning, I tried to come up with the best answers, but I learned that being true and authentic to yourself is the best way to write a good essay My advisor, Ben’s writing method–break down the questions into sub-questions and answer them then outline, also really helped me a lot.

I have a list!

1. Participation in extra-curricular activities is extremely important. Your participation can help you make up for grades that are not so stellar. Your resume also shows what kind of person you are, what you care about and it is great evidence to support your personal statements and goals.
2. Hard work always pays off. Don’t overwhelm yourself because if you have worked hard, you will be fine. I wish I could share this piece of advice with myself in the first semester of my senior year because it really has paid off!

There are many people I want to sincerely thank:

1. My parents––they are my motivation for achievement; they have supported me spiritually and financially and I would not have been able to overcome any adversity without them.
2. My advisors, Ben and Serena, who have truly helped me to become more successful.
   • Ben is my academic and club advisor who has led me to the right academic pathway for me. He is the one that first discovered my leadership potential and helped nurture it from the beginning. He also helped me throughout my admissions process. My resume would not be what it is without him.
   • Serena, our Korean country manager––there are many positive adjectives to describe her. She is friendly, dedicated and cares about her students like they are family members. She never gives up on them. She is Good listener and instructor who has truly listened to me.
3. My American Mom, Ms. Cecelia Yauger:
   • She has shown me the characteristics of true adulthood. Instead of simply verbally instructing me to appreciate the value of loving and caring, she models it every day. She taught me integrity and wisdom and has always been supporting me since I first met her in my sophomore year. Her warm hugs have given me the strength to face her challenges and I will miss those hugs very much!