<#304 People: Dojeon Scholarship Students>
Challenging Students Take It All
By Seo Jung-eun, Tribune Cub-reporter
Do you like the word Dojeon, the Korean term for ‘challenge’? This concept always provokes a person to have a dream and makes them apply themselves to what seems impossible to accomplish. As many university students want to work around the world in the future, their challenging spirit is regarded as an important factor in meeting people, accomplishing tasks and geting a job now more than ever. Chonnam National University (CNU) has the Dojeon Scholarship, a non-academic record-based scholarship for foreign and local students who have adventurous and challenging spirits. Chonnam Tribune met two foreign Dojeon Scholarship students and gave them the chance to share their thoughts on this scholarship and to talk about their school life at CNU.
Our Chinese friends seemed to be very excited and full of energy. Actually I was quite surprised that they spoke Korean so well. Wang Xin (Freshman, Dept. of Chinese Language and Literature) came to Korea in March of this year to study Korean. In China, her major was Korean and now she is studying Chinese at CNU. She said, “Nowadays, exchange activities between China and Korea have become very vigorous. I suppose there will be many jobs using this close relationship between the two countries in the future.” She also said that she wants to be a Korean teacher when she goes back to China. She thinks her ability to use both Korean and Chinese fluently would be helpful to get a job in China. The other student, Xue Shuai (Freshman, Dept. of Public Administration) came to Korea right after he graduated secondary school in China because he believed that studying abroad is a way to broaden one's knowledge. He said, “I have studied at CNU since September 2008. I learned Korean at the Language Educational Center and I found an interesting subject. After I graduate from university, I will go to graduate school in public administration. I want to work at the Chinese Embassy in Korea.”
Both of them seemed to have adjusted well to Korean culture and university life at CNU. They said various programs at CNU which they found on the school Internet website or heard of from teachers had helped them easily assimilate into Korea. “I would recommend the ‘Buddy Buddy’ program which is a kind of mentoring program to other foreign friends. This program was really beneficial and I was able to meet Korean friends through this program”, said Xue Shuai. “I also joined the Gong-Bu-Il-Chon program to study with my friends. We studied Chinese together and took the HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test). Without this certification, I wouldn't have been able to apply for the Dojeon Scholarship”, Wang Xin added.
They said this kind of scholarship may encourage students to participate in extracurricular activities and make them feel more confident. As our Chinese friends said, “CNU has lots of programs supporting its students in achieving their goals, so all you have to do is just go for it!” During the interview, I decided only prepared and enthusiastic students could get a chance. We need to appreciate our school life. It can be a driving force of our school's growth.
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