YISS JOURNALISM
WHO ARE WE?
YISS JOURNALISTS
OFFICERS
President/Editor-In-Chief : Sou Min Shin
It’s not that I’m special. If you were go out in the streets, you would see scores of people milling around, and to distinguish me from the crowd, it would be as hard as picking out rice from wheat. I’m not brilliantly intelligent or extremely famous. I’m neither terribly beautiful nor especially enlightened. I am an ordinary seventeen-year old girl. When people ask me to introduce myself, I try to present myself in the most concrete, differentiable way possible. Ironically, considering the numerous times I have had to confront the question, I still find myself wondering, who am I? Why do I exist? Everything and everyone exists for a reason so WHO AM I? So here it is.
17 years. 7 schools. Floating around the unknown world in a galaxy of uncertainty, I searched for wonder and hope. Through my travels to a variety of countries, I continuously recorded my experiences as a new stranger. My worldview has been influenced by a mixture of cultures and my interests head towards human rights. Everyone is born with his or her individual rights and I try my best to advocate for the protection of any kinds of human rights in the international world. As the president of the journalism club, the ultimate goal is to allow my fellow journalists to write about what they are actually passionate about.
I’m Jiyu Shin, and I like all types of writing except expository essays. My interests lie in investigative journalism, Impressionist art, and passing my AP classes. When I’m not in the swimming pool, you can find me reading Stephen King or watching sports anime. I love to spend time listening to Pulitzer Prize-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musicals and to travel the world. As a determined and resolute person, I hope to one day accomplish my dreams of meeting my favorite authors, athletes, and other inspirational people.
Vice President:
Jiyu Shin
Hi guys! My name’s Shelley Choi and I am a sophomore this year. My hobbies include reading, playing the violin, coding, and trying out new types of food. I travelled a lot from a young age, so I love learning about different cultures and perspectives as well. I am also really interested in various fields of science such as ecology and astronomy, and math. To describe myself in a few sentences, I would say I am usually an optimist, so “Don’t worry, be happy” is one of the mottos I like to stick with. Furthermore, since I like my imagination to run wild, I prefer writing fiction or poetry.
Secretary:
Shelley Choi
Journalists
Katie Yoon
Like the majority of high school students, I find it difficult to find anything remotely interesting about my life, although there are times when I feel elated or depressed due to frequent mood swings. Living in South Korea, renowned as one of the most, if not the most, academically competitive places on Earth, only makes matters worse. Anyway, before I continue my rambling speech on the stressful elements of my life, I should properly introduce myself. My name is Katie and I was born and raised in Los Angeles prior to moving to Seoul in 2010. Those who are not close to me will describe me as being an excessively introverted nerd who dislikes engaging in conversations. Some tend not to approach me as a result of my “intimidating” facade. Although it is true that I can be socially awkward and have difficulty in communicating, I am proud to say that I rarely ever judge people or gossip negatively about certain individuals behind their backs. To be frank, at this moment in time, my greatest wish is simply to spend my years at high school peacefully and uneventfully, away from all the chaos.
During my free time, I enjoy practicing the cello (depending on the piece, of course) and listening to various genres of music. Moreover, in spite of how I may appear, I take pleasure in watching Asian dramas, with the excuse of improving my Chinese, Korean, and nonexistent Japanese skills. In terms of writing, I do not necessarily prefer a specific type, but rather revel in the excitement of composing diverse pieces with different purposes whether that may be a cynical editorial on the presidential elections or a passionate interview with a club leader.
Yunee Park
We all are unique and have our own unique qualities and character. What each and every one of us enjoys varies. We are different, and that is what makes us special. As Dr. Seuss says, “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Younger than You.” The idea of uniqueness frequently leads many of us to wonder, “Who am I,” the question to which we all have different answers to.
I am a junior who enjoys spending time with my family and friends, watching movies at the theater while eating caramel popcorn, listening to music everywhere I go, drawing during my free time, and resting at home during the weekends. I particularly enjoy watching action movies and listening to Korean Pop music. Throughout the week, I spend most of my time finishing my schoolwork usually at the school library or a cafe. During the weekends, I spend most of my time watching television shows, taking long naps, and eating snacks. I define a perfect weekend as two days fully comprised of resting, eating, and relaxing.
When it comes to writing, I prefer writing articles based on current events or on movie or book reviews. As a Journalism member last year, I mostly wrote articles based on current events because as I researched for more information, I was able to learn about the status quo. Moreover, I sometimes enjoy writing short journal entries during my free time.
These are what first come to my mind when I try to answer the question “Who am I?” There are indeed many more answers to this. There are no limits to answering this question because we continually build up our identities and who we are.
Jasmine Chang
I am Jasmine Chang, a pristine freshman, an unimpeachable friend, and a devoted daughter. Working as a student in Seoul is never easy. Finishing final papers and projects, preparing for incessant tests and applications, are what grab our feet from pursuing goals and expressing who we are. A way that I dive through this problem is by writing. More than anything else, I like to express myself. Therefore writing is a way that I can fully convey who I am to many people. Writing is diverse. It consists many categories to choose and develop. Out of the various choices, I relish reading and writing narratives and expository writing. Lucidly, expository and narrative writing styles are very different. And this is why both of them lead me into enjoying them. Their opposing features bring interest within me to further spend time on reading and writing the two styles. Definitely, writing is not an easy task for me because I know for a fact that I spend unnecessarily lots of time into brainstorming. Sometimes, however, I believe that it is important to take some time on thinking what I am interested in, what I like, and what I want to write about. Whenever I begin writing, my surroundings and environment are what comes into my mind the most. I love to envisage and picture myself in different environments all the time. Occasionally, I picture myself throughout my daily life: hardly being able to wake up to go to high school, barely listening to never-ending lectures, staring at the time at hagwons (academies), cordially playing basketball with my friends, and always spending time with people I love. My daily life is not as exciting as others may have, but my daily life is what shapes me into who I am. My personality and characteristics were discovered by my daily life. My mother always taught me to greet others in all circumstances with a smile, to organize and manage the workload I had, to forgive others unconditionally, and to forget about remorseful things. An influence from my mother thus molded my personality. All of my life is something that I look back to. At the back of my mind, I evoke times of pure happiness, sorrow, regret, satisfaction, and anger. Through writing, I can share and express them with the world. Writing is my connection with others around me and to the whole world beyond my reach.
Irene Gil
My name is Irene Gil, and I am in ninth grade. I have no preference on a specific genre since I like reading both nonfiction and fiction. Fiction novel authors have the creativity in arranging all the different details of a story to complete a whole story that the readers can enjoy. However, I also have interest in nonfiction pieces since I am curious of the process of finding out how the author uses references or connections throughout the writing to get across the right concept to the reader. It always impresses me of how writers manage to add in relevant references that can create subtle humor. Despite the fact that I prefer reading both genres, I prefer writing nonfictions. I write out my opinions on a variety of ideas and see how I can manage to deliver the correct message or a specific feeling, but I also like to think back to a certain event in my life to relive it through writing by giving vivid descriptions. I normally use my computer to find random articles or utilize different tools from it, but I also enjoy playing tennis and the cello. My daily life represents the basic life of a high school student because I go to school, come home, and do my homework. However, I do try to add some time in between to do things that interest me such as listening to Concertos by Jacqueline Du Pre or turning on a playlist of the top fifty Pop songs of the year. Sometimes, I tend to be very talkative but depending on my mood, I could also become the quietest person in the room. I think I am someone who can easily find interests in anything, so if someone recommends me a certain type of music or a movie, there is a high chance that I will search it up and enjoy it.
Julia Nam
Currently as a junior at YISS, my daily life consists of a cycle of school and home.
Amidst the tedious life cycle, I attempt to entertain myself by reading webtoons
and listening to music. For those who don’t know, webtoon is a Korean cartoon on a
website and I spend countless hours scrolling through that. For music, I call
myself a K-Pop fan. Due to having handful of friends liking the same music genre
as me, I constantly encounter news and facts about K-Pop! Also, I am a big fan of reading “life-changing” books. By “life-changing” books, I do not mean the books that have changed by life in some way but I’m interested in the ones that try to change one’s life. For instance, I enjoy reading about people who have succeeded in their lives or overcame their obstacles. A book that really grabbed my attention was Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic. He wrote about how he was able to overcome his obstacles even without having arms and legs, which was very inspiring and “life-changing,” for me.
Iris Song
Hello! I am Iris Song, a sophomore. I spend most of my weekdays doing academic work, as well as playing kendo. I have been playing kendo for roughly five years. However, I am most well described as a very avid musical theatre enthusiast. I have been an active member of the school's theatre department. That I have a strong passion and ambition for musical theatre, I enjoy writing critiques for musical theatre productions happening around the world. However, I particularly enjoy critiquing musical theatre production in South Korea, so I frequently contribute to various Korean theatre portal websites by submitting critiques written in Korean. Writing reviews and critiques for Korean original musical productions are one of my daily hobbies, for I aspire to support Korean musical producers who have difficulty promoting/funding their work. Musical theatre has impacted me in innumerable ways, so theatre has a very special place in my heart. I hope to become a musical theatre producer in South Korea.