Student Ambassadors Make School Shine
This is the first in a series of interviews with student ambassadors of universities in the country. _ ED.
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
If you want to grasp how Sookmyung Women’s University has changed or will change, look at the faces of the school. Every year the school recruits student ambassadors to represent its policy and direction.
One old and one new ambassador from the school met The Korea Times for an interview on Sunday and talked about the roles they played on behalf of the school.
Lee Jung-mi, 23, a graduate student at the International Public Relations Department of the school, served in the position during the fall semester last year.
``When I applied for the position, our school was looking for someone who could represent its motto `Gentle Power to Change the World,’’’ Lee said. ``Although I am not sure that my face was fit for the image, I put much effort to express what my school wanted.’’
This year’s face of the school, Kim Min-jung, 21, was quite sure that she fits the image that the school wants, ``global leadership,’’ compared to Lee, one year her senior.
``This year, our school wants to promote the `S-leadership’ brand, a global leadership image that is comprised of scholarship, skill, service and soundness. I believe I can express the combined virtues with my charismatic and smart image,’’ Kim said.
Kim, double majoring in Korean language and literature and dancing, was selected as ambassador last month and became the 11th face of the school.
Besides being an ambassador for the school, Kim needs to appear in orientations to recruit high school students and conduct media interviews. It has been more than 10 years since Sookmyung began using students as promotion models in 1997.
``Do something for the school’’ was their inspiration to start the job. ``Thanks to the school’s good programs, I could go to the U.S. on volunteer activities and participate in the school magazine during my school life. I wanted to return what I got from the school,’’ Lee said.
Kim is also very proud that she can promote her school through the job saying ``I am happy that I can convey the core image of my school. This is not a common opportunity for all students.’’
To be the face of Sookmyung, applicants have to get through three steps; document screening, an interview and a screen test.
Public relations officials at the school select five finalists and the school president chooses two from among them. The tenure is for one year and they get a scholarship of about 700,000 won for each semester.
Lee and Kim advised student ambassador hopefuls to maintain good academic scores and, most importantly, to participate in many extracurricular activities at the school.
The two were confident that the school has successfully promoted through its use of the amateur ambassadors.
``Our school has consistently used student models rather than depending on famous entertainers. I think the strategy has worked well so far,’’ Lee said.
``I agreed with Lee, the tradition of a student model has become an important image for our school now,’’ Kim said.
Lastly, they shared what they want to be in the future. Lee wants to be a foreign news reporter and Kim hopes to be a news announcer.