YuSung Eo

I played soccer as soon as I got to Bard. During Language and Thinking I was so jet lagged, but I went to practices and got to know people. Sports are a great way to make friends. If you go through a season, you’ve been through tough times with teammates. You gain a better understanding of each individual as a player, and as a friend, too. It’s great. I have found my place at Bard through the soccer team—they’re my community.

I knew about the Bard Globalization and International Affairs program before I came to Bard, and that’s a big reason why I applied. With BGIA, you study in New York City and do an internship in international affairs. The practical experience of interning is really important. Not only are you learning a lot from internships, but you can also test out things you might like to pursue after college. This past semester with BGIA I was an intern at Oxford Analytica. It’s a think tank that advises governments, organizations, and companies on how to approach global conflicts and problems. One of my professors from BGIA was also my mentor at Oxford Analytica, and it was exciting to work with him.

I’m staying connected to South Korea. Last summer I participated in a global study program through Kyung Hee University, which is affiliated with Bard. I interned with an organization that partners with NGOs all over the world, doing fundraising, office work, and translation. I’m hoping to go back this summer, do more translation work, and intern with an embassy there.

South Korea has compulsory military service, so some time in the next few years I’ll go into the army. As the time comes closer, I feel nervous, but I’m going to look at it as a learning experience. Not everyone gets to take part in something like that, and it’s good background if I go into politics in South Korea, which I want to do eventually. I hope to incorporate that experience into my Senior Project, too. I’m considering focusing on the partition of North Korea and South Korea. That’s a really big issue in east Asia and it’s important to me.