Connection
Honglip Park: OSU Student Extraordinaire These days, Honglip Park knows how to put things in perspective. After all he’s been through, he understands the importance of stepping back and taking a deep breath. “Whenever I get frustrated, I recall my first term in OSU,” he says. “Taking classes, I felt left out. Nothing was easy. I struggled to interpret even a trivial funny joke in English. I would see my American classmates finish their study within 2 hours, when the same assignment took me 12 hours. However, it changed me. I was not nervous when I took exams because I already had studied as much as possible. I could concentrate on the exam without a regret.” Honglip, a former INTO OSU student from South Korea, has seen his hard work paid off. At the end of spring term, he was awarded the WaldoCummings Outstanding Student Award for his excellent scholastic record. Only 12 students from the first-year (freshman) class receive the award each year. As a memorial to OSU graduates Clara H. Waldo and E.A. Cummings, the select undergraduates are chosen on the basis of demonstrated academic excellence and outstanding extra-
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curricular achievements during their college careers. Although a WaldoCummings Outstanding Student Award holds no monetary value, it is among the most prestigious awards bestowed by the University. Honglip’s experience and commitment to volunteerism certainly contributed to his candidacy. “I volunteered as a member of Suyeongroe medical service team,” Honglip describes. “I volunteered for 5 years for Cambodia. Since I was the one of the youngest members in the team, I had a chance to communicate with other students and young people in Cambodia. Different from professional doctors and nurses, the works that I had to do were visiting patients who needed medical services and treatments and inviting them to our temporary hospital with local students.” These experiences, along with his experience as an INTO OSU student, shaped who he is today. “INTO OSU’s Academic English curriculum helped me a lot for preparing to study at OSU,” he explains. “The goal of curriculum of INTO OSU focuses on improving English skills for studying or research. I was afraid of making some mistakes in my speaking and writing essays. However, I wrote a lot of essays when I was an INTO student.”
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He also credits his experience at INTO OSU with helping him make friends and build confidence. “Making other international friends is a really good merit of INTO OSU. Since there are diverse students from diverse countries, it was good time to establish my identity as a Korean.” Looking back at his academic year, Honglip can clearly remember the moment he felt his efforts had paid off. It was the moment one of his teachers said, “You did a wonderful job, Mr. Park.” “I remember that moment vividly,” Honglip recalls. “It was the first time that I was praised. I appreciated that someone exists who knows my efforts. Finally, I received a 4.0 GPA at the end of the term.” He modestly adds, “It was an ordinary term for average student. But it was an unforgettable memory for me.” I think we can all agree, the achievements of Mr. Honglip Park are far from ordinary. We look forward to the extraordinary achievements that are certain to come in this young man’s future.