Post NSLI-Y/College Life Pt. 2: Opportunities as a NSLI-Y Alumna
In continuation with my last blog post, here is the second "Post NSLI-Y/College Life" blog post.
This one is geared more towards alumni, but anyone can read it to learn of some of the opportunities you get as NSLI-Y alumni and know how to keep up with language studies even after you come home from being abroad!
This blog post ended up being much longer than I expected, so I have split it into two different posts:
Part 1: Keeping Up With Korean
Part 2: Opportunities as a NSLI-Y Alumna
They're quite long, but I encourage you to read both of them. They're filled with personal but relevant post-NSLI-Y experiences that will hopefully be beneficial to you.
ALSO, I saw that NSLI-Y started sending out notifications last week, so HUGE congratulations to those who will be going abroad with NSLI-Y this year. And to those who don't get it, congratulations to you too, really. Congratulations to you for even being a semifinalist and for applying to NSLI-Y in the first place. Those are already huge accomplishments, and even if you were rejected this year, APPLY AGAIN IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE. Many people get it on their second or third times applying, so don't let this discourage you!! Keep learning the language and doing awesome things to show yourself as an even stronger applicant next year! I got in on my second try, as did many of the people on my program, so seriously... apply again!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-departure Orientation: Okay, this was definitely my favorite thing I have done as an alum. In the summer of 2015, I flew out to Detroit, MI where the 2015 Korean summer (Seoul) kids were having their pre-departure orientation (PDO). Another girl from my program and I were invited to help at the 2015 PDO, so we stayed with the kids for 3 days before they left and gave presentations, answered questions, etc... It was SO much fun. Most of the kids were so excited to meet each other after talking for so long over the internet that they kind of neglected us alumni (but it's okay, I forgive you guys!!).
<3 a="" about="" activities="" adjust="" all="" alum="" alumni="" and="" as="" at="" based="" bit="" br="" but="" case="" catching="" culture="" day="" did="" different="" during="" emails="" etc...="" etc..="" expectations="" experiences="" family="" for="" from="" gave="" goals="" going="" hanging="" how="" i="" iearn="" implementing="" in="" input="" invite="" it="" kids.="" kids="" korea="" learn="" little="" look="" lot="" m="" manage="" many="" nbsp="" not="" of="" offered="" on="" one="" organization="" organizations="" other="" our="" out="" participated="" pdo="" personal="" place="" presentations="" questions="" realistic="" reminiscing="" same.="" school="" set="" shock="" shoutout="" some="" spent="" staff="" sure="" that="" the="" then="" these="" this="" time="" to="" took="" two="" university="" up="" us="" was="" we="" well.="" were="" with="" year="" your="">Though I was an alum and went the previous year, many of the kids were my age so they became friends to me! Besides spending time with my friend from my program and my RD, getting to know the kids was probably the best part. Some of them refer to me as the mom of their program (haha), but I really did make friends from this! While the kids were in Korea, they kept in touch with me and even expressed some concerns and asked me for advice while abroad. Even still they contact me, and I actually have seen a few of the kids since they came back to the US! I go to college with a 2015 summer alum and another alumna has visited me here- I've made some great friends through this!
I will write a separate blog post on the 2015 PDO with pictures and videos in the future.
Volunteer at Interviews: This was probably one of my favorite things I have done as a NSLI-Y alum since coming to college. This year, I was able to volunteer at the interview event in my area and meet some of the semifinalists in this area. It was different being on the other side of the interview (and a lot less nerve-wracking), but it was an awesome experience! The day started pretty early and went to late-afternoon, so it was kind of exhausting, but I seriously had so much fun. All of the volunteers were also alumni of NSLI-Y or other Department of State study abroad programs, so I got to meet a ton of alumni that go to my university and nearby universities. I spent all day with the other volunteers, and we all became pretty friendly. Because there was time in between the interviews and not all of us volunteers were needed at once to interview students, we spent a lot of time talking about our experiences abroad. I have not met many NSLI-Y alumni outside of Korean alumni, so it was really interesting and fun hearing about alumni experiences in Turkey, Morocco, Russia, China, Tajikistan, etc... We all had our share of funny and embarrassing stories and shared different strategies for learning languages and living abroad. I feel like people who aren't NSLI-Y alumni might not understand how exciting it is meeting people who also went abroad, but seriously, it's so exciting meeting people who relate to you and are eager to hear about your experience abroad! We also compared the experiences in each country/on each program, and it's definitely interesting hearing how different everyone's experiences were. We honestly had a lot of fun despite how exhausting the day was, and I've made friends from helping with interviews that I've seen since then.
On the other hand, I also met a lot of awesome candidates for NSLI-Y that had interviews that day. I now understand how hard it must be for American Councils to choose the finalists. All of the students had such interesting and different personalities from one another in addition to their already-packed resumes! I was impressed by these kids at what they're doing! So seriously, if you don't get NSLI-Y this year, please please try again! There are just so may awesome applicants not everyone can get it this year, but you could still get it next year. Also just know that most of the time your interviewers are advocating for you and want you to get the scholarship- so even if you are thinking "oh no, I should've or could've said this," don't worry- chances are the interview went much better than you think! It was fun getting to talk to parents as well about my experience in Korea, and it's awesome seeing how excited and supportive people's parents are.
So to NSLI-Y Alumni: Volunteers are often needed for interview events during December and January, so keep your eyes out for emails or Facebook posts from the event coordinators in your region for an opportunity to stay involved in NSLI-Y and meet alumni, applicants, and volunteers/staff!
Networking Events/Professional Panels: NSLI-Y has allowed me to travel and meet people from all different backgrounds, areas, professions, etc..., but since coming to college I have realized how valuable these opportunities are. Being a program sponsored by the Dept. of State, NSLI-Y is a recognized program and the organizations put on events for NSLI-Y alumni with professionals. I go to college in the nation's capital, Washington D.C, which is home to many government organizations and NGOs, and NSLI-Y alumni events engage us with workers from all of these different areas. I feel like networking events and professional panels occur quite often at my school, but I have also gone to NSLI-Y/DOS program alumni-exclusive events.
Many of the professional panels alumni are invited to are geared towards introducing us to career opportunities that allow us to utilize the skills we developed abroad and suit the interests that many NSLI-Y alumni share. These panels invite working professionals to speak to us about their careers and answer questions we may have. Not only are they informative information-wise, but they introduce you to potential future employers. Networking is important, especially when you're a college student trying to knowledge of and experience in your desired career field. This is definitely one of the most valuable opportunities as a NSLI-Y alumna, in my opinion, and I also just find it to be enjoyable. It is so interesting to learn about other people and what they do, and seeing their passion and dedication to their field of work (whatever it may be) is inspiring! Even people who may not work in the field you desire to work in offer great advice. I feel like I have learned something from every person I have met at these kind of events that will help me be more successful as I move into the work force.
These events may sound intimidating, but they are enjoyable and help you grow and learn. Meeting people is just so fun to me, and being a NSLI-Y alumna invited to these events has brought me to meet workers in the Department of State, Department of Defense, World Bank, IMF, NGOs, Peace Corps, and so many more amazing places! I highly encourage you to attend [professional] alumni events in your area! You may meet your future employer, coworker, mentor, best friend... who knows! If you're nervous about attending professional events, especially if you think you're young, put that aside and put yourself out there! I have benefited greatly from these events, and I am sure many other NSLI-Y alumni would say the same.
Visiting NSLI-Y Alumni: On a less serious note compared to the aforementioned opportunities, this is more of just a fun thing I have done and many people I know have done. My program consisted of 50 students, and while I was not necessarily best friends with everyone, we were all friendly. So post-program, many reunions have taken place. NSLI-Y reunions make me so happy because saying goodbye to people you spend every single day with can be pretty heartbreaking, especially if you do not know when you will see everyone again. We all come from different states across the US, but timing is just on our side sometimes so when it is, we plan to hangout and catch up! In addition to meeting up with friends from my program, I have kept in contact with people I met at my semifinalist interview event, through mutual friends, etc... and we also have met up! Like I mentioned before, NSLI-Y just allows you to meet SO many different people and I love that.
My friends from my program live all over the country and go to schools scattered across the country, but one of the fun things about that is that you have somewhere to stay and someone to show you around a place you've never been to before! I have visited NSLI-Y friends in college/have had friends visit me, visited friends' homes, gone to concerts, hung out in NYC, taken day trips together, etc... People from my program have also met up in Korea again! A really neat thing I have done too is show Korean friends I met abroad around cities in America! Oh and these NSLI-Y reunions aren't exclusive to program alumni.... We've met up with our "tutors" and friends from Korea when they come to America and our lovely RA~ The best part about these reunions is just the ability to reminisce and look back at your time abroad together... and make new memories post-program! And they usually involve good food aka Korean food hehe~
Just to give some examples of these lovely NSLI-Y reunions that have taken place....
That's it for the blog post[s] on post-NSLI-Y/college life for now! I hope this was helpful and fun to read. If you have any questions about NSLI-Y, never hesitate to contact me through the link on the side of my blog or by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading my blog after so long. Keep your eyes out for random posts... sometimes I just feel like blogging about Korea haha.
This one is geared more towards alumni, but anyone can read it to learn of some of the opportunities you get as NSLI-Y alumni and know how to keep up with language studies even after you come home from being abroad!
This blog post ended up being much longer than I expected, so I have split it into two different posts:
Part 1: Keeping Up With Korean
Part 2: Opportunities as a NSLI-Y Alumna
They're quite long, but I encourage you to read both of them. They're filled with personal but relevant post-NSLI-Y experiences that will hopefully be beneficial to you.
ALSO, I saw that NSLI-Y started sending out notifications last week, so HUGE congratulations to those who will be going abroad with NSLI-Y this year. And to those who don't get it, congratulations to you too, really. Congratulations to you for even being a semifinalist and for applying to NSLI-Y in the first place. Those are already huge accomplishments, and even if you were rejected this year, APPLY AGAIN IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE. Many people get it on their second or third times applying, so don't let this discourage you!! Keep learning the language and doing awesome things to show yourself as an even stronger applicant next year! I got in on my second try, as did many of the people on my program, so seriously... apply again!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opportunities as a NSLI-Y Alumna
Pre-departure Orientation: Okay, this was definitely my favorite thing I have done as an alum. In the summer of 2015, I flew out to Detroit, MI where the 2015 Korean summer (Seoul) kids were having their pre-departure orientation (PDO). Another girl from my program and I were invited to help at the 2015 PDO, so we stayed with the kids for 3 days before they left and gave presentations, answered questions, etc... It was SO much fun. Most of the kids were so excited to meet each other after talking for so long over the internet that they kind of neglected us alumni (but it's okay, I forgive you guys!!).
<3 a="" about="" activities="" adjust="" all="" alum="" alumni="" and="" as="" at="" based="" bit="" br="" but="" case="" catching="" culture="" day="" did="" different="" during="" emails="" etc...="" etc..="" expectations="" experiences="" family="" for="" from="" gave="" goals="" going="" hanging="" how="" i="" iearn="" implementing="" in="" input="" invite="" it="" kids.="" kids="" korea="" learn="" little="" look="" lot="" m="" manage="" many="" nbsp="" not="" of="" offered="" on="" one="" organization="" organizations="" other="" our="" out="" participated="" pdo="" personal="" place="" presentations="" questions="" realistic="" reminiscing="" same.="" school="" set="" shock="" shoutout="" some="" spent="" staff="" sure="" that="" the="" then="" these="" this="" time="" to="" took="" two="" university="" up="" us="" was="" we="" well.="" were="" with="" year="" your="">Though I was an alum and went the previous year, many of the kids were my age so they became friends to me! Besides spending time with my friend from my program and my RD, getting to know the kids was probably the best part. Some of them refer to me as the mom of their program (haha), but I really did make friends from this! While the kids were in Korea, they kept in touch with me and even expressed some concerns and asked me for advice while abroad. Even still they contact me, and I actually have seen a few of the kids since they came back to the US! I go to college with a 2015 summer alum and another alumna has visited me here- I've made some great friends through this!
I will write a separate blog post on the 2015 PDO with pictures and videos in the future.
Volunteer at Interviews: This was probably one of my favorite things I have done as a NSLI-Y alum since coming to college. This year, I was able to volunteer at the interview event in my area and meet some of the semifinalists in this area. It was different being on the other side of the interview (and a lot less nerve-wracking), but it was an awesome experience! The day started pretty early and went to late-afternoon, so it was kind of exhausting, but I seriously had so much fun. All of the volunteers were also alumni of NSLI-Y or other Department of State study abroad programs, so I got to meet a ton of alumni that go to my university and nearby universities. I spent all day with the other volunteers, and we all became pretty friendly. Because there was time in between the interviews and not all of us volunteers were needed at once to interview students, we spent a lot of time talking about our experiences abroad. I have not met many NSLI-Y alumni outside of Korean alumni, so it was really interesting and fun hearing about alumni experiences in Turkey, Morocco, Russia, China, Tajikistan, etc... We all had our share of funny and embarrassing stories and shared different strategies for learning languages and living abroad. I feel like people who aren't NSLI-Y alumni might not understand how exciting it is meeting people who also went abroad, but seriously, it's so exciting meeting people who relate to you and are eager to hear about your experience abroad! We also compared the experiences in each country/on each program, and it's definitely interesting hearing how different everyone's experiences were. We honestly had a lot of fun despite how exhausting the day was, and I've made friends from helping with interviews that I've seen since then.
On the other hand, I also met a lot of awesome candidates for NSLI-Y that had interviews that day. I now understand how hard it must be for American Councils to choose the finalists. All of the students had such interesting and different personalities from one another in addition to their already-packed resumes! I was impressed by these kids at what they're doing! So seriously, if you don't get NSLI-Y this year, please please try again! There are just so may awesome applicants not everyone can get it this year, but you could still get it next year. Also just know that most of the time your interviewers are advocating for you and want you to get the scholarship- so even if you are thinking "oh no, I should've or could've said this," don't worry- chances are the interview went much better than you think! It was fun getting to talk to parents as well about my experience in Korea, and it's awesome seeing how excited and supportive people's parents are.
So to NSLI-Y Alumni: Volunteers are often needed for interview events during December and January, so keep your eyes out for emails or Facebook posts from the event coordinators in your region for an opportunity to stay involved in NSLI-Y and meet alumni, applicants, and volunteers/staff!
Networking Events/Professional Panels: NSLI-Y has allowed me to travel and meet people from all different backgrounds, areas, professions, etc..., but since coming to college I have realized how valuable these opportunities are. Being a program sponsored by the Dept. of State, NSLI-Y is a recognized program and the organizations put on events for NSLI-Y alumni with professionals. I go to college in the nation's capital, Washington D.C, which is home to many government organizations and NGOs, and NSLI-Y alumni events engage us with workers from all of these different areas. I feel like networking events and professional panels occur quite often at my school, but I have also gone to NSLI-Y/DOS program alumni-exclusive events.
Many of the professional panels alumni are invited to are geared towards introducing us to career opportunities that allow us to utilize the skills we developed abroad and suit the interests that many NSLI-Y alumni share. These panels invite working professionals to speak to us about their careers and answer questions we may have. Not only are they informative information-wise, but they introduce you to potential future employers. Networking is important, especially when you're a college student trying to knowledge of and experience in your desired career field. This is definitely one of the most valuable opportunities as a NSLI-Y alumna, in my opinion, and I also just find it to be enjoyable. It is so interesting to learn about other people and what they do, and seeing their passion and dedication to their field of work (whatever it may be) is inspiring! Even people who may not work in the field you desire to work in offer great advice. I feel like I have learned something from every person I have met at these kind of events that will help me be more successful as I move into the work force.
These events may sound intimidating, but they are enjoyable and help you grow and learn. Meeting people is just so fun to me, and being a NSLI-Y alumna invited to these events has brought me to meet workers in the Department of State, Department of Defense, World Bank, IMF, NGOs, Peace Corps, and so many more amazing places! I highly encourage you to attend [professional] alumni events in your area! You may meet your future employer, coworker, mentor, best friend... who knows! If you're nervous about attending professional events, especially if you think you're young, put that aside and put yourself out there! I have benefited greatly from these events, and I am sure many other NSLI-Y alumni would say the same.
Visiting NSLI-Y Alumni: On a less serious note compared to the aforementioned opportunities, this is more of just a fun thing I have done and many people I know have done. My program consisted of 50 students, and while I was not necessarily best friends with everyone, we were all friendly. So post-program, many reunions have taken place. NSLI-Y reunions make me so happy because saying goodbye to people you spend every single day with can be pretty heartbreaking, especially if you do not know when you will see everyone again. We all come from different states across the US, but timing is just on our side sometimes so when it is, we plan to hangout and catch up! In addition to meeting up with friends from my program, I have kept in contact with people I met at my semifinalist interview event, through mutual friends, etc... and we also have met up! Like I mentioned before, NSLI-Y just allows you to meet SO many different people and I love that.
My friends from my program live all over the country and go to schools scattered across the country, but one of the fun things about that is that you have somewhere to stay and someone to show you around a place you've never been to before! I have visited NSLI-Y friends in college/have had friends visit me, visited friends' homes, gone to concerts, hung out in NYC, taken day trips together, etc... People from my program have also met up in Korea again! A really neat thing I have done too is show Korean friends I met abroad around cities in America! Oh and these NSLI-Y reunions aren't exclusive to program alumni.... We've met up with our "tutors" and friends from Korea when they come to America and our lovely RA~ The best part about these reunions is just the ability to reminisce and look back at your time abroad together... and make new memories post-program! And they usually involve good food aka Korean food hehe~Just to give some examples of these lovely NSLI-Y reunions that have taken place....
That's it for the blog post[s] on post-NSLI-Y/college life for now! I hope this was helpful and fun to read. If you have any questions about NSLI-Y, never hesitate to contact me through the link on the side of my blog or by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading my blog after so long. Keep your eyes out for random posts... sometimes I just feel like blogging about Korea haha.
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