In this blog post, I’ll summarize my academic experiences and school activities during high school, examples of compassion, sharing, and collaboration, and my plans for college and my future career.
Academic Experiences and Reflections
I’ve been interested in game development and design since middle school, which led me to enroll in the Computer Design Department at a science and technology high school. In high school, I focused on content creation through the convergence of media technology and artistic fundamentals. After thoroughly mastering foundational manual skills—such as sketching, color management, and three-dimensional visual expression—I repeatedly practiced translating these skills into digital work. I believed that practicing precise hand-drawing was the foundation of digital work, so I invested a great deal of time in it.
In multimedia classes, I challenged myself in various fields by gaining experience in three-dimensional visualization and advertising editing design. As I broadened my scope to include character design, clothing patterns, 3D design for advertisements, and even film CG work, my interest in and passion for my major deepened. Through the process of producing video projects in collaboration with friends in the same field, I also came to appreciate the importance of teamwork.
In my sophomore year of high school, I began studying web design in earnest, learning how to create website frameworks and utilize JavaScript. I applied interactive elements—such as embedding videos, implementing smooth scrolling, and creating slide-style transitions—to build a dynamic website. I received recognition for the artistic quality of the class forum and school website I created, and as these projects were featured in the school newspaper, I felt my skills improving rapidly.
Description of Major School Activities and Reflections
Participating in a club focused on creating major-related content was a major turning point for me. The club operated systematically in alignment with my major, supporting creative hands-on projects and helping members earn certifications. From my freshman year onward, I looked up to the seniors who had won awards and earned certifications. As a result, I participated diligently in the practical sessions and built up my skills.
I started out by creating 2D content. Building on the fundamentals I learned in my major courses, I conceptualized an animation using hand-drawn illustrations, hand-drawing the movements of animal characters and linking them together to complete the animation. This piece received an honorable mention in the year-end competition and was well-received by my peers, giving me a sense of accomplishment in animation production.
Starting in the second semester of my freshman year, I took on the challenge of creating 3D content and worked hard to become familiar with graphics-based work. As I became more comfortable with the touchpad and graphic tools, I repeatedly refined my approach to three-dimensional composition. After numerous revisions and improvements, I created a piece titled “Life in a Future City,” which won the Excellence Award at the semester competition. This experience helped me develop the ability to bring ideas to life and fostered my patience.
Later, I collaborated with the short film production department and was responsible for creating the CG for the monster in the film. Although it was my first time working on a film production, consulting and collaborating with upperclassmen was a great help. For the monster design, I created several drafts by referencing CG work featuring insects, lizards, and dinosaurs, and finalized the design after numerous revisions and discussions. The entire project took 10 months, requiring a long-term commitment, but the resulting satisfaction with the final product and the sense of teamwork were immense.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Collaboration, and My Reflections
My experience of balancing club activities with preparing for professional certifications helped me realize the value of collaboration. In particular, while preparing for the Colorist certification, I formed a small study group with classmates from my year to study color psychology together, and we shared information by exchanging insights on both the written and practical exam preparation processes. Through discussions and hands-on practice with my peers, I was able to fill in the gaps that individual study alone could not cover.
In our study group, we focused on practical exercises, ranging from basic color exercises to the three-attribute test, solving problems on color reproduction and correction, emotional color schemes and color planning, and color combination techniques. While studying for the written exam at the same time, I gained a systematic understanding of theories such as color psychology, color marketing, digital color, and color mixing principles, and I personally experienced how color choices affect the psychological impact of a piece of work.
Throughout this process, we fostered an atmosphere where we reviewed each other’s work critically yet constructively and worked together to address our weaknesses. Because we shared a common goal of improving the quality of our work—beyond simply obtaining a certification—I gained a deep appreciation for the value of collaboration. As a result, my work became more professional and refined.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
Building on my high school experience studying computer design—which combines art and technology—I intend to delve deeper into visual media and computer graphics in college. Through repeated attempts at CG work in animation, advertising videos, and short films, I was drawn to how visual media simultaneously stimulates the viewer’s sight and hearing to leave a strong impression. In particular, I wish to study 3D motion graphics and video editing in depth.
I plan to build a solid technical foundation by taking graphics-related courses in the Department of Computer Engineering at Korea University of Technology and Education, while expanding my portfolio through creative projects. My goal in college is to develop the ability to create works that satisfy the general public by reflecting client needs, in addition to expressing my personal vision. For example, I aim to produce popular results through practical projects, such as editing a scene from a movie or creating an advertising video.
After graduation, I hope to take on a role where I understand video production processes—including film, broadcasting, and motion graphics—and am responsible for producing various CG assets, cut editing, sound editing, special effects, and animation. My career goal is to acquire practical skills through my university studies, team projects, and field experience, and to gain recognition from many people through creative and meaningful work.
