Songgokians in 2021

Yoo Jae-hyun Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at Sejong University

Please introduce yourself briefly!

Hello, Songgok Tourism High School. I’m Yoo Jae-hyun, who’s a little sad because I resemble potatoes, dog poop, and even seed ‘hotteok,’ a Chinese stuffed pancake! Ha-ha. I’m studying hotel tourism management at Sejong University, taking a teaching course, so I met you like this. I spent my first-year course, General Tourism. And I was with the 4th class of the first grade during the past month. Good to see you!!

Tell us about your first impression of Songgok Tourism High School.

The first impression of Songgok Tourism High School just came to mind that it was a “bright spring” as much as the flowers filling the back garden. Everyone was energetic and bright, from the first graders who had just started high school to the third graders now taking their last steps in school and going to their dreams. The way they listened to the teacher hard in class, took pictures of each other on the hill behind them and played little tricks on me and other student teachers looked so pretty. The cherry blossoms, which were in full bloom on the first day I went, fell in less than a week. Still, Songgok Tourism High School students were always in full bloom, so I think I could receive that energy. (Is it too cheesy? lol)

What was the most memorable thing you did while at Songgok Tourism High School?

There are unforgettable scenes: The students who came to me and played with cute props, the students who flocked to me after class and poured out questions, the students who gave me gifts they brought themselves, and our first-year class 4 friends who threw me a surprise party on the last day. Every moment is crucial, so it’s hard to pick one. So rather than the most memorable thing, I’ll tell you about what encouraged me in the beginning. In the early days of the student, who had a lot of worries because he was so awkward and clumsy with dealing with students, there was a student who gave me a candy. I was suffering a lot alone, but I brought one candy home and fiddled for a long time, and I made a promise that I should do my best in my way, not follow others. I was grateful to all the students I met, but I remember it encouraged me to start a hard time. Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the student again!

I am curious about your high school life.

I graduated from a high school in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do. Our school is a dormitory school located in the middle of a rural mountain, so there were only rice fields around it. What was unusual was that cell phones were prohibited, so we used public phones and didn’t have school uniforms. Now that I think about it, I wonder how I lived there for three years, but I ran and played in the mountains behind my friends, and I was the dance club president (even if I didn’t look like that at all. I prepared for the festival and held a student council meeting, so I had a hectic time planning an event. I want to ask Songgokkians to do what they can only do when in high school rather than unconditionally do many activities. When I thought about the club ‘Shall I try,’ the student president, and other things, I felt that they were things that I couldn’t do unless now, so I did it without wor- rying. Even if other people say it’s useless, and even if the results didn’t come out as good as the student thought after doing it, if it’s worth it, be brave and do it! The work, in some way, will surely repay the student someday.

Please tell me what classes you take in college and your activities.

Just as I played hard in high school, I played hard in college. Since I work in the band and confectionery is a hotel tourism management, I also joined the Hotel Research Group, Casino, and Cocktail Volunteer clubs and worked hard. Briefly tell you about the class. It feels slightly different from what you learned at Songgok Tourism High School. I think it’s right to say that universities don’t necessarily receive a higher level of education, but that the ‘field’ of learning is a little different. I’m Songgok Tourism High School. The hotel table setting, cocktails, baristas, bakeries, and cooking skills are almost zero, so I must learn from you. Lol. Instead, I’m learning strategies to make the hotel successful and analysis of the recent types of tourism. So, I was able to tell my first-year friends about General Tourism! I want to go to college and learn more! Students are remarkable, but it would be an excellent college choice. And they can experience more than college, depending on what they want to do.

Lastly, please say anything or advice to students who want to go to school or get a job!

Whether you go to school or get a job, you will need time to explore what you want to learn and do. Just because you come to college doesn’t mean you get a better job, and there aren’t many cases where you have a job related to your department. So, I want to tell our Songgok Tourism High School students to “increase chance meetings as much as possible” for the rest of their time as high school students. Right now, you may be in a state of thinking, “I don’t want to do anything big” or “I don’t do anything well.” But I’m sure you haven’t found what you want to do and what you’re good at yet. There are so many jobs in the world, and many new jobs are emerging at this moment. I’m sure we haven’t met the ‘job’ that expresses what I want to do and what I’m good at. One day, if you run into something you like, the day will come when you decide whether you need to go to school or get a job! Until we meet at some point, we will see, hear, and learn as many things as possible. I will sincerely cheer for the days and new seasons that will come to you!

Baek Ga-gyeong