Recent Alumna Hea Su Lee Earns Admission to LSE

picHea Su Lee graduated last summer with a bachelor’s in Global Affairs with a concentration in Global Governance and a minor in Journalism. In a few months, she will be embarking to London to pursue her passions at the London School of Economics (LSE), where she was admitted to the Media and Communications graduate program, which is ranked number 1 in the UK and number 3 globally in the field* (*based on 2021 QS World University Rankings).

Hea Su fell hard for global media and communications during her undergrad years at Mason Korea. “I was involved with practically everything I could get involved with at Mason,” she said. She boasts an extensive list of student leadership activities: Resident Advisor (RA), intern, editor-in-chief of the student newspaper The Voice, co-founder of media channel Asian Boss Next (ABN), and student fellow at the Center for Security Policy Studies-Korea (CSPS-Korea). She particularly notes her ABN experience as being key to shaping her career interests. “When we first established Asian Boss Next, we aimed to create a youth-led platform to deliver truthful voices and perspectives on social issues,” she said. “Leading endless discussions and meetings to make ABN a valuable journalism community fanned my passion for media and communications.”

picHea Su also pursued professional opportunities outside of the classroom. In her senior year, she began working at the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), an international organization dedicated to protecting migratory waterbirds. As the External Relations & Foundation Assistant, she has been collaborating on outreach projects and fundraising campaigns with international stakeholders for nearly a year now. She has also been honing her media skills by helping publish press releases, social media content, and e-newsletters.  

Hea Su credits her successful undergraduate career to Mason Korea’s compact community that allows high interaction with faculty and staff. She regularly sought advice and also learned about new internship opportunities. She also didn’t shy away from reaching out to her professors at the Fairfax campus who were keen to share their expertise. At Fairfax, she worked at Fourth Estate, Mason’s official student-run news outlet, and was part of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), all of which strengthened her determination to continue studying media and communications.

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To students who wish to pursue graduate studies abroad after graduation, Hea Su says, “Challenge yourself and experience as much as you can during your college years. This will deepen your academic interests and develop your own story. I am confident that my participation in student clubs, leadership roles, societies and committees, and class discussions built my academic and professional foundation. These activities aren’t just a line on my resume, but they’ve taught me how to lead an organization, work in a professional setting, and get along with people from different backgrounds. Nothing will happen unless you do something.”

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