In this blog post, I’ll summarize my academic experiences, school activities, examples of consideration and collaboration, and the process of deciding on and preparing for my career path during my time in high school.
Academic Experiences and Reflections
The most frustrating part of my studies was repeatedly getting the same problems wrong. My comprehension wasn’t bad—I could quickly understand and grasp difficult math problems, complex English passages, and the poems in the language section—but whenever a similar problem came up again, I would inevitably get it wrong. No matter how much I reviewed my mistakes, I’d get problem A right only to get problem B wrong, and then get problem B right only to get problem A wrong again. This vicious cycle continued, causing me to feel disappointed in myself, doubt my memory, and experience severe stress.
But I couldn’t just give up. If my memory was poor, I decided to approach it with the mindset of “making sure I don’t have time to forget.” So, I developed the habit of reviewing my notebook of wrong answers four times a day—before and after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I made it a rule to record every question I got wrong, filling up a 30-page notebook, and then I kept reviewing that notebook. Before and after every meal, I would habitually review that notebook to check what I had gotten wrong and reflect on what I needed to study—a process I repeated daily.
At first, simply reviewing that single notebook was a struggle, but as I repeated the process, I naturally began to identify the types of questions I frequently got wrong. As a result, I stopped making the same mistakes I had previously made, and I was able to more accurately pinpoint and address my weaknesses in specific topics. Furthermore, as I personally experienced the value of repetitive learning, I realized just how important it is to “go back to the basics” when studying.
Writing about major school activities and reflections
The activity I was more immersed in than studying was volunteer work. I made an effort to participate in as many volunteer activities as possible at school. I participated in environmental cleanup volunteer work, coming out early every morning to clean the school grounds, and in recycling volunteer work, where I diligently sorted recyclables and organized the trash areas. I also took part in activities to support students with disabilities on campus and organized a visit to a nursing home off-campus to volunteer.
The emotions I experienced through volunteering can be broadly divided into two categories. The first was joy and a sense of fulfillment. I viewed volunteering not as an act “to help others,” but as an act “to help myself.” I often found that helping someone—even for a brief moment—enriched my life and heart, and helped resolve the concerns I had been wrestling with. When I was struggling or my self-esteem was low, the sense of fulfillment I gained from volunteering became a great source of strength for me, and that energy carried over into my studies and daily life, serving as the driving force that kept me volunteering.
Second was a sense of frustration. I felt the limitations of volunteering—that even when I provided practical help, such as cleaning, doing laundry, or simply keeping someone company, the underlying problems remained unresolved. Helping with cleaning and laundry at an orphanage did not change the children’s loneliness or the structural issues they faced, and I sometimes felt helpless when confronted with the reality that a single visit to a nursing home to keep an elderly person with no family company did not solve the problem of elderly people living alone. These experiences led me to appreciate the immediate benefits of volunteering while also inspiring me to study the root causes of these problems and find institutional solutions.
Ultimately, I decided to pursue social work as a career path because I wanted to explore more deeply why socially vulnerable groups emerge and why the same people repeatedly face hardship. During my sophomore year, I not only participated in on-campus volunteer work but also partnered with external organizations to visit rural and island regions, gaining diverse volunteer experiences. Through this process, I witnessed firsthand the hardships present throughout Korean society and gained hope that even a small contribution could bring about change.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
The inter-class volleyball tournament may seem like a minor event on the surface, but it was a crucial turning point for our class during my sophomore year. At the time, our class was a mix of students from the humanities and sciences tracks, and we were struggling with conflicts that prevented us from getting along.
Due to differences in personality and class schedules, we didn’t naturally get along, and as frustrations mounted, the conflict escalated to the point where we split into rival factions. Even our homeroom teacher was at a loss as to how to resolve the situation.
However, the interclass volleyball tournament unexpectedly brought us together. Although the girls’ volleyball was far from a professional match—it was simply a matter of passing the ball back and forth—the process of moving our bodies together, working up a sweat, and cooperating gradually eased the awkwardness between us. Small acts of consideration, such as passing each other water and cheering one another on, accumulated, and by the time the tournament ended, we had won first place and bonded so tightly that we embraced each other and shed tears.
Through this experience, I learned that working together toward a small shared goal helps bridge the gaps between people. I gained an important lesson: when conflicts arise within an organization or community, simply pointing out the problems is rarely enough to resolve them; rather, trust and understanding are naturally built through the process of accomplishing something together.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
The frustration I felt during my volunteer work led me to ask more fundamental questions. Asking myself questions such as “Why do the vulnerable exist?”, “What kind of systems are needed?”, and “What systems are effective overseas?”, I began researching relevant systems and case studies. This process of inquiry, combined with my hands-on experience, led me to decide to major in Social Welfare. Once I had clarified my career path, I participated more actively in volunteer work, striving to broaden my practical skills and understanding of real-world contexts.
Among the books I’ve read over the past three years, one that had a profound impact on me was a book about Waris Dirie. This book candidly recounts the life and journey of a woman who endured the brutal practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) and shows how she uses that experience to advocate for its abolition. Through this book, I realized just how small my own world was and felt a deep sense of the need to pay attention to global issues.
In particular, the author used her personal suffering as a foundation to speak out on public issues and take direct action; her actions deeply inspired me and led me to look up to her as a role model. This book broadened my horizons, strengthened my resolve to address social issues through institutional solutions, and played a significant role in my decision to pursue a career in social welfare.
