Outstanding middle school students

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sat, September 30, 2023 | 16:18

Multicultural Community

Outstanding middle school students

Posted : 2022-12-04 16:58

Updated : 2022-12-04 17:56

Warm-hearted Ramirez Cruz perfectly adapts to life in Korea

Born to Colombian parents, Jairo Andres Ramirez Cruz first came to Korea from Colombia in 2016 at the age of nine. Six years have passed since he began his school life as a second grader at elementary school. He is now a second grader at Hongik Middle School in Seoul.

Jairo Andres Ramirez Cruz

Despite having spent his early childhood in Colombia, he has adapted perfectly to school life here. In the first few months, he put a lot of effort into learning the Korean language. After he adjusted smoothly to Korea, he displayed leadership as the class president in the fourth grade of elementary school.

However, Ramirez Cruz's life has not always been bright. After the divorce of his parents, his father moved to Colombia, leaving him and his younger brother to be raised by their mother. Things became more difficult after his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017.

Despite the hardships, however, Ramirez Cruz never lost hope. He took good care of his brother and helped his mother. In particular, the bilingual student always supports his mother who is less fluent in Korean, when she has difficulties doing paperwork in Korean or during consultations with doctors.

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Ramirez Cruz has shown exceptional talent in the arts, receiving various awards in art competitions held in and outside the school.

He is also interested in IT technology. Last year, he was awarded a silver medal in an artificial intelligence-based software development contest at his school. To achieve his dream of becoming a digital artist, he has recently begun to learn about non-fungible token (NFT) technology.

Straight-A student Kwon cares for others in need of help

Kwon Ji-ae is a second grader at Woonam Middle School in Osan, Gyeonggi Province. Born to a Thai mother and a Korean father, the 14-year-old is a straight-A student who excels in all subjects.

Kwon Ji-ae

The excellent student with remarkable grades is popular at school for her kind attitude toward others. Her sociable personality is much appreciated by her classmates, as she does not hesitate to help those in need and participates in various volunteer activities.

In the first semester of this year, Kwon received a "kind student" award presented to the kindest student in the class. She is known among teachers as an exemplary student.

She displayed leadership as the class president in the fall semester this year. Her dedication to keeping her campaign promises was recognized by her friends who often praised her responsible attitude.

Kwon is a self-reliant student mature beyond her years. She strives hard for self-development not only in her academic life, but also in extracurricular activities. She is talented in painting, coding and storytelling. Based on these talents, Kwon dreams of becoming a game developer in the future.

lhj@koreatimes.co.kr