Briefly introduce yourself please!

I am Olabanji Samuel Ogunjobi from the beautiful country of Belize in Central America. Before coming to Korea, I was a Trade Economist with the Foreign Trade Department of Belize supporting the implementation of a trade agreement with the European Union.

What made you choose to come to Korea and study at KDIS?

Korea is one of the few countries that moved from being developing to a developed country in one single generation, largely due to its outward-looking economic policy that prioritized exports. As a trade enthusiast looking to pursue graduate studies, Korea was the perfect choice for me; and what better place to learn about Korea’s miracle that the educational arm of KDI School.

 What is your vision/ ultimate goal of life? What motivates you to study?

Ultimately, I would like to advise governments on international trade policies, and to do that;  I‘ve got to be well-trained, which is what motivates me to study. After all, you can’t give what you do not have.

I know you are an editor at the writing center and have conducted several lectures about academic writings. Could you tell us more about the writing center?

You see, KDI School students come from all over the world, the majority of whom come from non-English speaking countries; as such, they have challenges with putting their thoughts into words especially since the medium of instruction at KDI School is English. The Writing Centre exists to bridge that gap, to help students with all their writing needs. And yes, I have been privileged to have been an editor at the Writing Centre for two years thus far.

What are some basic tips on writing in general?

I’ll give two tips on being a good writer. To write well, you must read extensively; I am inadvertently saying, you need to read if you want to write better. The second tip is whenever you are experiencing a writer’s block, do not worry about it, just start writing anything; the rest will come to you.

What are you interested in these days?

These days, I am working on my thesis, I am examining Belize’s industrial policies in the context of its World Trade Organization’s commitments; basically, a legal analysis to explore the flexibilities or the lack of it. So, my reading, for now, is geared towards my thesis. Hopefully, I can get back to leisurely reading after graduation; I enjoy reading about international governance issues. I recently finished a book by Ben Rhodes (Former Obama Deputy National Adviser) called “The world as it is”; the book offers a behind-the-scenes view into the thought process of major foreign policy decisions of the Obama Administration.