GLOBE IS VERY KEEN ON SHEDDING THE LIGHT ON KDI SCHOOL STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAD AN INDIRECT LINK TO THE SCHOOL THROUGH THEIR SIBLINGS PREVIOUS ATTENDANCE. WE PICKED TWO STORIES FOR YOU ABOUT A COUPLE SUCH STUDENTS, SO LET US SEE TOGETHER IF THIS HAD ANY EFFECT ON THEIR LIVES AND GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR CAMPUS FELLOW MATES.

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR :

When I first saw Ms. Victoria Son, I thought to myself: “What a gorgeous young lady, she looks Korean to me.” Since I’ve been testing my ability to distinguish Koreans, I asked her if she was indeed Korean and received an unexpected response, “No, I am from Uzbekistan.” Then very quickly and to my relief, she explained that she was born and raised in Uzbekistan but is originally Korean. Days later, I had the opportunity to conduct an interview of Ms. Son- an encounter that revealed itself as ‘a breath of fresh air.’

Globe : What brought you to the KDI School?

Victoria : I first heard about the KDI School back in 2004, when my sister went there. I decided to pursue a degree here after learning how good of a school the KDI School is, and because I was very interested in the programs offered. But since my educational background (Japanese Language & Literature) was far from what is offered at the School, I chose to expand my experience by entering the work force. So I worked for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Korean embassy for three years, after which I felt ready to apply and get my MPP/PM degree.

Globe : Have you faced any challenges that you would like to share with us?

Victoria : It has been a breeze, the whole process from A-Z, I mean from the application process all through getting into class. I am very grateful to the School for facilitating all this for me.

Globe : What do you look forward to doing while at the KDI School and in Korea?

Victoria :

At the KDI school:

- I want to take advantage of all the opportunities out there.

- I want to get as much exposure as possible to the different cultures, people, and get to know more about the different countries from which students come.

- I want to excel in all my school work. In Korea:

- The Son branch that I am from has some type of a gathering or a family reunion once every year. I would love to join them, and get to know them.

Globe : How about your sister Yulia? What about her life after the KDI School era?

Victoria : She has been happily living in Seoul and working for Hyundai Engineering. She loves it here.

HAPPY ENDINGS - LAWYER :

Right after a makeup class that I had along with Joel, I decided to take the chance to ask him if I can have a short chat with him about life at the KDI School, and if his twin brother’s former life at the KDI School had any influence on Joel’s. Mr. Joel Delgado is one of the nicest humans out there; quiet, calm, laid back, and easy to talk to. We breezed through the questions, and it turned out that my investigation was not too painful for him to handle.

Globe : How did you hear about the KDI School?

Joel : My brother attended this school last year, but it wasn’t because of this that I applied to the KDI School. I heard about it through KOICA about five years ago, and applied for the KDI School along with another school, and eventually got accepted here.

Globe : Any challenges in the application process?

Joel : I was actually concerned that the KDI School wouldn’t accept me due to the fact that my brother had gone there. So I prepared myself to be asked relevant questions during the phone interview. To my surprise, KDI School’s phone call ended up coming when I was camping out in the woods, so they totally caught me off guard. They did ask about my brother, and my heart raced, but I calmly gave them the well worked out answer I had prepared. I am here now, so I guess it worked! (For the secret of Joel’s answer, you can go back to him and ask.)

Globe : Any advantages to following your brother’s footsteps?

Joel : Absolutely! I have more leverage; life for me is much easier than that of how my brother’s was, simply because he advised me in advance on what to do, where to go, what to see, how to tackle my school work and such, meaning he gave me the heads up I needed. Because of the insight Marcelo gave me, I am more focused.

Globe : Who was Joel before the KDI School?

Joel : (chuckles) Well, I was a lawyer, worked on a couple of cases before I quit the court scene and resorted to office work - a robbery case and a divorce case. I won both by clearing the innocent who was falsely accused in the first case, and by getting the couple to reconciliate in the latter. I am not interested in going back to practicing law. This is why I picked the KDI School for a degree in public policy, so it will help me change my career path into something related to policy making and designing.

Globe : Wow, then I guess I am going to call you the “Happyendings” lawyer. How about your brother Marcelo, what has he been up to?

Joel : He is doing great. He graduated with honors, which facilitated getting him a good position with one of the esteemed political parties back home (Guatemala) where he is designing their governance plan.

Globe : Anything else you would like to add about life at the KDI School?

Joel : I am very thankful to the School, very impressed with the faculty. This master’s program is definitely very useful, and I AM LOVING IT HERE.

By Mona Bargooti (2010 MPP, Palestine)