Mi Joo from Korea

It has been only about two years that I have been studying in Canada, but these two years have helped me truly learn more about my identity and interests. Before coming to Canada, I struggled with how stressful the South Korean educational system was. Even though I tried my best, I was not able to achieve good grades because students were graded on a curve. It made me compete with my friends, and I lost interest in studying as a result. While I was in the midst of my darkest period at school, my parents offered me the opportunity to study abroad and I took it. I moved to Canada when I did not even know how to speak English properly. It was a significant challenge for me to be alone and live in a place I had never been to. It was much harder than I expected because of COVID-19. Classes began to be held online, which made it harder to understand topics, get help, and make new friends. Not to mention that I still needed to climb over the mountain of learning English. Since English is my second language, it was hard to study and understand what was going on in my classes. Moreover, it took me a while to get used to thinking in English instead of translating from Korean to English every single time. Even though there was a language barrier, I took Advanced Placement (AP) courses for Calculus and Physics to challenge myself and enjoyed the courses a lot because I was happy to learn new things. Additionally, I participated in the 2021 Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge(COMC), the BC Secondary Schools Math Contest, and Euclid Mathematics Contest to challenge myself to strengthen my problem­solving skills through math. Being able to apply what I had learned throughout school and having the chance to possibly learn more about my favourite subject was what made participating in these contests thrilling. Although I enjoyed the courses I took, I worried a lot about being behind in studying in Canada as I started in grade 11. However, there was a lot of support from teachers, friends, and the community. The endless support I have received from the community is what led me to the student I am today, and will always motivate me to strive toward making a difference in my community. 

Activities

Member of Key Club at Yale Secondary (September 2020 - June 2021) Member of Senior Band at Yale Secondary (September 2020 - ongoing) Member of Jazz Band at Yale Secondary (September 2020 - June 2021) Member of Concert Choir at Yale Secondary 
(September 2020 - ongoing) Volunteered at Abbotsford Recreation Center (July 2021 -September 2021) Member of Homework Club at Yale Secondary (September 2021 - January 2022) Achieved Honour Roll in Semester 1 with an Average of 97% (January 2022) 

Post Secondary Plans

I applied to 5 universities: University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Toronto St. George Campus, University of Waterloo, Mcgill University. After careful consideration, I have decided to join Computer Engineering degree in University of Toronto.