In this blog post, I’ll summarize what I learned and felt through my academic studies, school activities, and volunteer work during high school, as well as my career preparation process.
Academic Experiences and Reflections
After taking a practice exam in my freshman year of high school, I realized just how important it was to study Korean. At the time, I tended to invest a lot of time in English and math, but I was relatively neglecting Korean. While English and math had clear formulas and vocabulary to memorize, making it easy to plan my studies, Korean felt abstract because I only heard that comprehension and critical thinking were important. Although I received advice to “read a lot of books,” I wanted to find a more effective study method.
So, I decided to study Korean using the same method I used for English vocabulary. I created a Korean vocabulary notebook and organized the pronunciation and meanings of words just as I would with English words. Whenever I encountered an unfamiliar word while solving mock exam passages or questions, I wrote it down in my notebook, looked up the meaning, and recorded it. I intentionally worked to strengthen my vocabulary and grammar to accurately understand underlined expressions in questions, answer choices, and passages.
At first, I used an electronic dictionary, but since it had limitations in finding related words or detailed meanings, I borrowed a paper Korean dictionary from the library to study more deeply. I looked up and organized everything without omission—not only literary terms such as point of view, observer, and narrator, as well as historical terms like Realism, Naturalism, the Cheongnok School, and KAPF, but also specialized terms, Sino-Korean words, loanwords, and onomatopoeic and mimetic words that appeared in non-literary passages.
Although the effort of creating a vocabulary notebook did not immediately translate into better grades, the results became apparent after about a year. As my vocabulary grew and my basic critical thinking and reading comprehension skills improved, my understanding of reading comprehension questions broadened. This experience of systematically building my vocabulary made me realize the results that can be achieved when abstract advice is translated into concrete action.
Major School Activities and Reflections
From my first year of high school, I declared my interest in fashion and my intention to pursue a career in clothing design. Despite opposition from those around me, I resolved not to give up on my dream and joined the Fashion Club to demonstrate my commitment. This club was a joint organization involving students from other schools as well as our own, so its scope of activities was broad, offering me many opportunities to learn.
The club’s main venue was our school’s auditorium, which was well-equipped enough to attract students from other schools. The auditorium provided ample space to set up mannequins for cutting and designing clothes, so we gathered there every weekend for practical training. At first, I knew almost nothing about cutting, design, alteration, or repair, but thanks to the seniors who consistently prepared lessons, I was able to learn the basics.
We started mainly by altering existing clothes. I believed that by mastering the basics through imitation and gradually adding my own creativity, I could come up with new designs. I brought in clothes I no longer wore from home and practiced mending them repeatedly, learning through hands-on experience the various differences between men’s and women’s sewing techniques, as well as the production processes for ready-to-wear and functional clothing.
For specific examples, I altered men’s military uniforms into women’s jumpsuits, used lace from tablecloths to make dresses, and even turned a men’s suit jacket into a women’s skirt. Through these processes, I developed an understanding of material properties, sewing techniques, and pattern application skills.
Club activities went beyond individual work; there was a culture of evaluating and offering advice on each other’s pieces. I provided feedback on my peers’ work and improved my own pieces through their evaluations. What started as mere scraps of fabric gradually evolved into wearable garments, and by the end of the semester, our work was deemed good enough to be featured in a fashion show.
Starting in the second semester, we began planning a fashion show. We formed teams with friends who shared similar styles, held planning meetings, recruited models, and staged a fashion show for a joint competition. Our creations, filled with our ideas and hard work, received applause from the audience, and some pieces were even sold, giving me a sense of both financial reward and personal accomplishment.
Writing about examples of consideration, sharing, and cooperation, and my reflections
During my activities with the fashion club, I participated in a volunteer project to make stuffed animals for underprivileged children. The club collaborated with a local children’s welfare center to carry out a project creating dolls that would bring joy to the children, and we established three conditions for this volunteer activity. First, we decided to make the dolls large enough so that the children would feel less left out even if they couldn’t spend Christmas with their families. Second, we aimed to create dolls that served a practical purpose—such as a pillow or cushion—rather than being mere toys. Third, we planned to spend time playing with the children when we delivered the handmade dolls.
To fulfill the first condition, all the volunteers gathered and went to Dongdaemun Market to select the fabric ourselves. After discussing what kind of dolls to make while looking at the materials we’d brought, we decided to create stuffed animals based on the familiar KakaoTalk emojis. We made cats from blue fabric, dogs from brown fabric, and ducks from white and yellow fabric. We took care to embroider different expressions on each doll so that even within the same design, no two expressions would be the same.
To meet the second requirement—that the dolls function as cushions—we made the outer fabric from a stretchy material and filled the insides with soft, bean-shaped stuffing to ensure the children wouldn’t get hurt. Thanks to this design, the dolls took on a shape that children could use as a cozy pillow to sleep on. Since we had to produce a large quantity in a short time, we worked through the night and were able to complete over twenty dolls.
I visited a children’s welfare center with the finished dolls, gave one to each child, and spent time with them. Seeing the children’s joy upon receiving the dolls filled me with pride, and I truly experienced how cooperation and consideration can provide tangible comfort. This volunteer experience taught me more than just crafting skills; it taught me the importance of caring for others and the value of teamwork.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation and Career Plans
During high school, I clearly declared my intention to pursue a career in clothing design and have consistently worked toward that goal. Although I faced opposition from those around me, this resistance only strengthened my resolve. To demonstrate my dedication, I joined a fashion club where I gained experience through hands-on practice and collaboration. These club activities served as a catalyst for solidifying my career aspirations.
Through my club experience, I developed foundational production skills—such as cutting, pattern-making, and sewing—as well as creative problem-solving abilities through garment alterations. Under the guidance of senior members, I gained hands-on experience with mannequin work, team-based planning, and the preparation and execution of actual fashion shows, thereby mastering the overall garment production process and developing a practical sense of the industry. Additionally, through the process of evaluating and refining each other’s work, I cultivated an objective eye for design and strong collaborative skills.
Volunteer work, show planning, and sales experience broadened the scope of my career preparation. By presenting the clothes I made on stage and selling them, I was able to witness firsthand the process of bringing my creations to completion and gauge consumer reactions. Through volunteer work making stuffed dolls, I learned the importance of design that considers user comfort and practicality. These experiences went beyond the mere acquisition of technical skills; they fostered my problem-solving abilities and social awareness as a designer.
Moving forward, I plan to systematically develop my garment production skills based on the fundamentals I learned in school and the practical experience gained through club activities. By continuing to hone my skills through hands-on practice, researching various materials and patterns, and strengthening my collaboration skills, I aim to produce creative yet practical work in the fashion industry.
