Daniel from Korea, June 2019

... the district simply provides the best environment to study. For instance, the passionate and intelligent teachers are always ready to help me.

Comments

My life in Canada assisted me to become a better person in general. Abbotsford’s geographic location blocked me from external distractions. Since there were no distractions here, I was able to focus on studying only. In fact, the community’s peaceful atmosphere soothed my mentality, so I grew mentally mature. The early dismissal time in Abbotsford benefited me as an individual. In Korea, most students study from sunrise until sunset, which prevents them to enjoy their youth. However, Abbotsford gifted me some time to spare. Although extra free time can be used wastefully by some students, I treated them as gold and used it to develop my character. For example, I joined a baseball club (Abbotsford Angels Hardball Association), where I not only made new friends but also enjoyed my favourite sport. If I was in Korea, I probably would have spent that time sitting on my desk.

In addition, I joined the after-school homework club at Yale, where I tutored students math and science and developed my interaction skills. Abbotsford does not oblige students to study; instead, the district simply provides the best environment to study. For instance, the passionate and intelligent teachers are always ready to help me. Their attractive lessons made learning enjoyable, and this joy encouraged me to study harder. Also, the teachers focused mostly on projects and learning by heart instead of instilling knowledge into the students’ brains. This type of education naturally influenced me to study so I can enjoy the course materials. The hard work was paid off by the year-end awards. In the past few years, I received numerous academic awards in Yale, including the Junior Science award and the Student of the Month award. When I was gifted with such awards, I felt like I could do better, so I worked harder than I used to.

I now consider Abbotsford as my mental hometown. I probably will leave the community to attend a post-secondary institution in Korea. However, due to my memorable life in Canada, I wish to return to this land for my graduate studies. 

Post-secondary plans

Because my favourite subject in school always has been chemistry and physics, my plan is to study chemical engineering. To accomplish my goal, I applied and got accepted to the Faculty of Engineering in multiple major Canadian universities including University of British Columbia(UBC), McGill University, University of Waterloo, and University of Alberta(UA). For all of these schools, my specific degree choice was chemical engineering. I received multiple scholarship offers from many universities. For example, UA offered me numerous scholarships, including the “Entrance Citation for International Students”. Furthermore, UBC offered me the “International Major Entrance Scholarship”. Yet, due to the unbelievably high tuition of Canadian universities for international students, these scholarships are unable to sustain my multiple years of studying in Canada. Therefore, in the close future, I am planning to apply to universities in South Korea, such as Seoul National University and Yonsei University, where tuition is multiple magnitudes cheaper than that in Canada. Of course, I will be applying to chemical engineering, since it is undoubtedly my favourite area. If I get admitted, I will probably attend one of the Korean institutions. However, since I love Canada - from its natural beauty to education style - very much, my hope is to return to Canada for my graduate studies; in fact, I am considering to receive a doctoral degree in chemistry. Afterwards, I wish to find a job in an energy company, where I can apply my chemistry knowledge to make a better world. 

Activities

  • Member of Yale Secondary Key Club (September 2016 - June 2018)
  • Vice President of Yale Secondary Key Club (September 2018 - June 2019)
  • Player of Abbotsford Angels Hardball Association (January 2015 - June 2019)
  • Umpire of British Columbia Baseball Umpires Association (January 2015 - June 2019)
  • Lab Assistant at Yale Secondary (September 2018 - June 2019)
  • Leadership at Yale Secondary (September 2017 - June 2018)
  • Link Leader of Link Crew Leadership at Yale Secondary (September 2017 - June 2018)
  • Future Science Leaders (January 2018 - May 2018)
  • Volunteer at After School Homework Club at Yale Secondary (October 2017 - January 2018)