From First-Gen to Global Explorer: Leah’s Korean Journey

I found out about UB’s study abroad program before I came here through a friend who was already a UB student. I spoke with many people who had previously studied abroad in South Korea, but Amber Hyein Kim, director of the Korean program and teaching associate professor in the Department of Linguistics, provided me with more help that I could have ever asked for.

I have always taken an interest in the country, culture and as I was already taking Korean language classes at UB, I thought that studying abroad in Korea was the best opportunity for me.

I am extremely lucky to be getting this opportunity to study abroad. As this was my first-ever time abroad, I was excited to continue my studies there, while also learning more about the country.

Going to South Korea to study abroad gave me the important life skills of being independent and confident in my decisions and actions.

I went to Korea as a student and I was studying English at Korea University. I also was a foreigner with little knowledge of the country, so I learned about and explored the country as I continued my education.

As I took an English course focused on creative writing in media, I was looking forward to coming back to the U.S. with a new outlook on how other countries educate and how learning new teaching and studying skills will impact how I continue my education at the UB.

I was really looking forward to studying abroad in Korea and putting my two and a half years of learning the language to the test!

My advice to any student looking to study abroad is to make sure you are prepared to be in a different environment with diverse cultures! There are so many things to be learned and it is important to continue learning with an open mind.

Before I came to UB in the fall of 2023, a close friend who was a UB linguistics student heavily influenced me to come to the school. As I live three hours away from Buffalo, I was excited to start my college career as an English student in a new city.

I grew up loving English classes all through school and it continued up until I left for college. I did not start out as an English major, but was inspired by Laura Marris, visiting assistant professor in the Department of English, who taught with so much passion and love, to switch my major. The English department is filled with so many inspiring educators, authors and poets and I am grateful to be a part of it.

As a freshman, I joined UB’s College Democrats and enjoyed being a part of the club. While I'm not in it anymore, the club gave me an outlet to express what I believed in and a new place to learn more about politics.

Being a UB student means everything to me. I love studying in Abbott Library and I love walking past Lake LaSelle and seeing fellow students go about their days. Being at such a community-oriented university, such as UB, has changed me as a person and made me more open and compassionate.

The UB and Buffalo community is incredibly special to me and it holds a specialplace in my heart. I was lucky enough to meet so many amazing people at the school and I love exploring the city with them.

I am a first-generation student who grew up in a small town with a single mother that worked extremely hard to get me to where I am today. With the struggle of my younger brother having childhood cancer, my mother has never had a normal parenthood experience, but she has done everything for my siblings and I to have the life and college experience that she did not have, and I know that many people have similar experiences.

If there was one thing I needed to hear when I first came to UB, it was that I belonged here. You deserve to be at UB, and you have earned your spot as a student. College is difficult, and there will be many obstacles, but push through! Everything will be okay.