BS in Business

Seulki Kim, 2020

For Seulki Kim, Mason Korea has been a transformational place. Seulki is a senior majoring in Information Technology and is currently studying at the Fairfax campus. She was recently accepted into the Accelerated Master's program and will start studying Digital Forensics and Cyber Analysis next semester. This is her story.

Seulki enrolled in Mason Korea as a business major in Spring 2015 after graduating from a Korean high school. She arrived at Mason without any English educational background. Lunging into a full English curriculum at an American university was undoubtedly a huge transition. However, she quickly learned to seek out the help available to her. One of the first places she turned to is the University’s tutoring center, which she frequented for intensive writing and speaking sessions with her tutor. “The sessions helped me tremendously,” she said. As Seulki’s English skills improved, her classes became more enjoyable and she participated in class discussions more confidently. She naturally began forming more friendships with international students. With all this, not only did Seulki make dramatic progress in her language skills, but she ended up founding the school newspaper.

Seulki is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Voice, Mason Korea’s first school newspaper. “I wanted to make a school newspaper ever since I first got to Mason Korea, but I was worried about my English,” she disclosed. She soon discovered, however, that she was in a positive environment with people who encouraged her to believe in herself. In particular, the words of Gbemi Disu, Mason Korea’s Chief Business Officer, inspired her to take the leap. “Gbemi said that she believed that I would do an amazing job and all I have to do is just try,” Seulki recalled. That is how The Voice was birthed. Seulki had a vision and just went for it. She is certain that the newspaper would not exist without the support of the Mason community.

Launching The Voice turned out to be one of the greatest milestones of Seulki’s undergraduate career. What began with five members, the minimum number required for starting a Registered Student Organization (RSO), has grown over the years and the student club has reached its goal of becoming the school’s official press. “My experience as editor-in-chief has taught me invaluable lessons outside of the classroom,” said Seulki. She learned more about herself through the process. “If it weren't for The Voice, I wouldn't be the person I am today... it’s how I met my best friends and mentors.” Above all, The Voice helped Seulki figure out what she wants to do in the future for it was while she was working on the website for The Voice, she developed an interest in coding, which eventually led her to switch majors.

In 2017, Seulki went to study at the Fairfax campus as part of the Mason Korea curriculum, where she switched majors to Information Technology and was accepted to the Accelerated Master's program in Digital Forensics and Cyber Analysis. She is thrilled to begin her master's program next semester. However, life in Fairfax proved to be a lot more than just studies. In fact, it was Seulki’s first time in the United States and everything was new. While it took some time for her to navigate and adjust to her new surroundings, her integration experience in Mason Korea made the adjustment to Fairfax smoother. As usual, she did her research on how to find jobs on campus and quickly set out to figure out which resources were available to her. Currently, Seulki is enjoying life in Fairfax and is eager to share her experiences and advice with fellow Patriots who will also be traveling to Fairfax soon.

First, Seulki emphasizes building good relationships with professors and being a good student. "It's as simple as paying attention in class and going to office hours,” Seulki said. She developed a good relationship with one of her professors who then offered her an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) position. "Being a UTA was very helpful for building a strong resume,” she explained. This experience opened up many more opportunities including her internships on campus. Second, Seulki stresses making use of all the resources available. For instance, Seulki started visiting Mason’s career center recently. The center not only offers practice interviews, resume reviews, and career consulting, but also has a host of advisors for specific fields of studies. “The advisors really helped me build a stronger resume based on my experience and develop successful interview skills,” Seulki said. The university's writing center is also a huge asset as it provides various services such as intensive tutoring sessions for international students. “I always visit the writing center before turning in a paper,” Seulki said.

Seulki's third piece of advice is participating in career fairs. “I got my current internship through the career fair,” Seulki explained and laid out her whole process of success. “I applied for a specific position beforehand, suited up, and brought a copy of my resume to the fair. I told the people at the career fair that I had already applied for the position and looked forward to working with them.” She did this knowing that her resume would likely get lost amidst the fierce competition for on-campus internships. Her bold but smart move is what differentiated her from the 300 other students who also applied for the same position. Her current boss applauds her shrewdness.

Lastly, Seulki recommends asking for help. She has been visiting the Office of International Programs and Services (OIPS) every day lately because of her Curricular Practical Training (CPT) process. “I was so confused and stressed out because everything seemed so complicated, but visiting the advisors cleared out my head and helped me focus on what I have to do,” she said. International students have to undergo certain processes that can seem overwhelming, but they can reach out for help. That is precisely what Seulki did and she is enjoying life at Mason. “I feel like I've grown into the person that I've always wanted to be at Mason. I want everyone else to enjoy their time here too!”

Seulki was recently offered a full-time job at one of the world's top tech companies. We look forward to watching her continue to spread her wings and inspire others.