In this blog post, I will summarize my experiences, focusing on my academic achievements and school activities during high school, examples of compassion, generosity, and collaboration, as well as my academic and career plans after enrollment.

Academic Experiences and Reflections

With the goal of working in the field of international tourism, I focused on studying Japanese and Chinese throughout high school. I believed that learning Asian languages would be highly beneficial in my future career, given the high demand for tourism in neighboring Asian countries. Therefore, I committed to studying both Japanese and Chinese simultaneously, with the goal of becoming a specialist in both languages by the time I graduated.
Mastering two languages at the same time was not easy. Since I was enrolled in the Chinese Language Department, most of my class time was devoted to Chinese, leaving relatively little time for Japanese. So, I used my self-study time and after-school classes to study Japanese on my own. Since I also had to study English as part of my regular curriculum, I devoted most of my week to language learning. Nevertheless, I believe that being able to handle all three languages to a certain degree is proof that I made the most of my three years in high school.
The key to learning languages efficiently was time management. For English, I focused on studying for the college entrance exam, and for Chinese, I made sure never to lose concentration during class. I tried not to neglect any area—listening, grammar, or speaking—and I consistently memorized vocabulary and idioms by utilizing spare moments. I designated self-study time and evenings exclusively for Japanese, clearly separating my study periods to prevent confusion between the two languages.
Since both languages use Hanja (Chinese characters), I often got confused while studying, but thanks to a regular schedule and finding the optimal study routine that suited me—which I consistently followed—I was able to steadily build my language skills. Through this experience, I learned that even difficult goals can be achieved through systematic time management.

Write about major school activities and reflections

In high school, I was interested in the hotel and restaurant industry, so I joined a restaurant startup club. Our club was named “Matjjang,” a name derived from a modified version of a common expression. The name embodied both the meaning of “creating flavor” and the idea that the food we developed would be exceptionally delicious. We went beyond simply developing recipes; our main activities involved participating in cooking competitions to test our skills.
The club also developed food business concepts and entered them into competitions. I was particularly interested in the food service industry within hotels, so whenever I visited a restaurant, I observed the menu and service features to gather ideas. Rather than simply eating the food, I carefully examined which menu items gained popularity and which service elements increased customer satisfaction. The information I gathered in this way was a great help when creating cooking ideas.
As I was very interested in desserts, I came up with a concept of creating various desserts using a single ingredient. For example, I designed a product line using “ma” (a type of yam) to develop various items such as ma cake, beverages, salads, and puddings. To assess whether the idea would succeed in the market, I engaged in repeated analysis and discussions with club members, and we conducted numerous practice sessions to develop feasible recipes.
I realized that while the food service industry has low barriers to entry and is highly competitive, the probability of failure is also relatively high. Since success cannot be guaranteed by ideas alone, we conducted extensive research on existing franchises and hotel dining cases to analyze factors for success and failure. By identifying which concepts, menus, and services had endured over the long term, we learned that consistency in presentation, naming, and concept—along with “taste”—is crucial.
Based on our analysis, we began developing our own menu, and I was primarily responsible for creating original dishes in the appetizer and dessert categories. Reflecting the wellness trend, I created desserts using vegetables such as yam, yacon, and bell peppers, and researched methods to preserve the vegetables’ texture or bring out their natural sweetness, applying these techniques to cakes and puddings. For some products, I adjusted the packaging specifications to improve shelf life and processability, and we even filed a patent application for these items under the club’s name.

Writing about examples of consideration, sharing, and cooperation, and my reflections

I have experience delivering food developed by our food startup club to elderly residents living alone in our community. While the product development and patent application processes were meaningful, seeing people enjoy my food and express their happiness was the most rewarding part. When we visited a senior welfare center to deliver the food, the elderly residents genuinely loved it, which brought me great joy.
Our connection with the center began with a donation experience related to prize money from a cooking competition. After hearing about a previous instance where prize money was donated to a welfare organization, we were encouraged to participate as well, which led to our connection with the center. As a result, twenty club members visited the center as part of our volunteer efforts.
Before the visit, we pooled our efforts to prepare gifts. Since the food products we had developed were still in the early stages, we needed to address issues of shelf life and potential spoilage before commercializing them, so we focused on researching processing and packaging methods for baked goods. We carefully packaged cookies made with vegetables and fruits, and sold half of the packaged cookies on campus to raise funds. We then used those proceeds to purchase daily necessities and yogurt to give to the elderly.
On the day of the visit, after hearing an explanation about seniors living alone, the twenty of us split into four groups and visited each home. We carried out various activities, ranging from cleaning the house—such as dusting window sills—to delivering the tissues, yogurt, and cookies we had brought. Seeing the elderly residents’ immense joy at even our small acts of help warmed my heart deeply, and I truly experienced the value of volunteering and the importance of cooperation firsthand.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

My dream is to become a manager overseeing food service operations within the hotel and restaurant industry. Food service is a specialized field that goes beyond simple cooking or serving; it involves many behind-the-scenes aspects such as menu planning, customer service, and event management. During high school, I naturally developed an interest in this field through tourism classes and activities in the restaurant startup club, which led me to set a goal of providing food service specialized in desserts and appetizers.
Once I enter college, I will diligently study the theory and practical skills offered in the International Tourism program. Building on the foundation in tourism management and hotel management I acquired in high school, I plan to continue my studies at a more advanced level in college. Additionally, I will continue to refine my Japanese and Chinese language skills, which I have studied consistently throughout high school. Given the nature of the hotel industry, where conversational proficiency in foreign languages is crucial, I will focus on strengthening my conversational skills. I will also ensure I do not neglect IT education, such as computer lab practice.
As I advance through my academic years, I will concurrently engage in practical preparations with employment in mind. I plan to organize study groups to obtain tourism-related certifications, with my targets including the Tourism Interpreter and Hotel Manager certifications. Since I believe that practical field experience is more important than theory and certification preparation alone, I will seek internship opportunities in the hotel and convention sectors to build my practical skills.
In particular, my ultimate goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the foodservice industry and develop operational skills by learning on-the-job practices in the field. Through this process, I will lay the foundation to grow into a competent foodservice manager and a tourism professional with an international perspective.