Mason Korea Alumna Haseung "Madeline" Joung Lands Government Media Job

picMason Korea alumna Haseung "Madeline" Joung graduated in Fall 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in Global Governance and a minor in Journalism.

Despite graduating with the Class of 2020, also known as the “COVID class,” Joung quickly landed a job in media and communications just as she had hoped. As an English Staff Writer at Korea.net, a news portal run by the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS), which is under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, she writes articles and translates PR collateral, while helping manage and create content for Korea.net's social media accounts.

Joung cites her time at Mason as being pivotal in building the skills necessary for her job, particularly highlighting her experience with Asian Boss. “I was able to participate in some amazing opportunities through Mason Korea's Career Development Center and had so much support from Mason's faculty and staff along the way. In particular, I had the fortunate opportunity to intern with Asian Boss, a global media company during my junior year,” she said. Joung was a founding member of Asian Boss NEXT (ABN), a collaborative project with Asian Boss' executives, with Mason Korea being the pioneering university for the mission.

“Our goal with Asian Boss NEXT was to create a collaborative youth platform for young people around the world to produce media content they are passionate about and get media and reporting experience by doing hands-on work. I think being a part of ABN's early stages was a great way to learn about journalism, broadcast, social media, and video creation, which ultimately helped me learn some foundational skills needed for any media position.”

For students who are interested in pursuing media related jobs, Joung emphasizes taking advantage of Mason’s abundance of resources. She recommends joining The Voice or ABN as a start, but also venturing out to start personal passion projects, such as creating a YouTube channel, starting a blog, or running a social media account. “Getting hands-on media experience and learning on the way is a great way to build some skillsets,” Joung said. “Also, reach out to the communications professors at Mason Korea and Mason Fairfax if you ever need help or have questions—they’re super helpful.”

Related article: Six Former 'Asian Boss NEXT' Students Find Success in Media Industry and Beyond

For more information about Mason Korea’s Career Development Center (CDC), click here