Asian Studies Alumni Spotlight with Agnes GoWoon Kim

Interested in what you can do with a degree in Asian Studies? In our Alumni Spotlight Interview Series, we ask our alumni about their career paths, how they became interested in Asian Studies and for any advice they would give to current students. This Interview features Agnes GoWoon Kim. Agnes is currently Ph. D. Student at Seoul National University.

Please tell us a bit about yourself. Where do you live? What are you currently doing?

 On completing my bachelor’s degree at UBC, I came back to Korea, and am currently a Ph. D. student at the Graduate School of Environmental Studies (GSES) at Seoul National University (SNU). I’m also working as a writing tutor at the Seoul National University English Writing Center.

 How did you start networking abroad?

Eager to explore Korean academic culture, I participated in the visiting student program at SNU, which gave me the opportunity to build relationships with SNU students and professors. As I was interested in Environmental Studies in an Asian context, I contacted several people for their opinions when choosing a school for my master’s degree.

How is working and living abroad as a foreigner?

There are immense challenges for me as a student with a foreign academic background in Korea, i.e., a bachelor’s degree at UBC, even though I’m Korean, because there is an extremely fierce competition among Korean students in the job market. Fortunately, most professors at GSES have obtained their Ph. D. degrees abroad, and tend to highly value international experiences. My command of English and a few Asian languages, as well as my ability to write academic papers in English, which I obtained from my studies at UBC, definitely help me grab more academic opportunities than other students.

Any Advice for other alumni that are hoping to go abroad?

Wherever you are preparing to go abroad, a good command of the local language is useful to maximize the benefits and the opportunities of staying abroad. I strongly recommend that the person learn at least a basic level of the locally spoken language before going abroad.

And can you recommend your favorite location in your region?

My favorite location in Seoul is actually the SNU campus. As it is located within a watershed of Mt. Kwanak, its environment is as beautiful as that of UBC. Also, I love hiking courses along Mt. Bukhan (Seongbuk-dong region).

What were some of your fondest memories of attending UBC?

With Prof. Ross King and a group of Korean students, I volunteered to organize a few fundraising events, including a Korean poetry recital, to help the UBC Korean Language Department. Although our contribution did not make big changes, the time we put our heads and hearts together still remains as a meaningful memory of my life at UBC.

What is one of your funniest or awkward mistakes as a foreigner?

I was so used to smiling at strangers when walking or taking buses in Vancouver that I would spontaneously smile upon making eye contact with people even after coming back to Korea. However, only foreigners or a few people would nod or smile back, and most people looked at me with an awkward or uncomfortable face. I guess this is due to their busy lifestyles. Although I’m natively Korean, there were some cultural differences that I had to learn through in the beginning.