Summer Olympic Brown is a junior study abroad student from the Fairfax campus. She is double majoring in Conflict Analysis and Resolution with a concentration in Global Engagement and Foreign Languages with a concentration in Korean. As an aspiring diplomat and Korea enthusiast, Brown is thrilled to be back in Korea for the third time.
“Korea is my favorite country from all the countries I’ve been to,” says Brown. “I love the country so much and I absolutely wanted to stay much longer this time to learn more about Korea.” Brown arrived at Mason Korea last semester and is determined to improve her Korean language skills, which is the primary reason she started interning at Mason Korea’s Industrial-University Collaboration Foundation (IUCF).
As one of IUCF’s first-ever interns, Brown translates documents from Korean to English, helps faculty members register with the Korean Research Information system, and researches academic associations and publication opportunities. Her work can be challenging, but she thoroughly enjoys using her Korean skills daily.
Brown also has a second internship—a virtual internship with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Building Operations (OBO) where she has worked on various projects such as summarizing over 5,000 diplomatic residence quality of life survey responses, methodology invention, and creating training programs for OBO.
“As someone who wants to become a diplomat, the concept of understanding nation building and national progression is very important for me to understand because they are topics I will have to face in the future,” she said. “Korea has provided me an excellent opportunity to not only understand this concept, but also view the world in a totally different perspective than I would ever have by staying in the U.S.”
From professors and peers at Mason Korea to business leaders, political leaders, famous artists, military personnel, social activists, and Buddhist monks, Brown has been able to meet all sorts of people during her time in Korea. “Traveling in Korea, although seriously impacted by COVID, has also been an amazing experience because it allowed me to experience the beauty of Korea—its people, history, and landscape. All of these I will certainly take with me for the rest of my life, and they are also the reason why I got my tattoos: so that I never forget.”
May 17, 2021
