2020 여름학기
Imelia Kyra, 연세대학교 국제학대학원

My name is Imelia Kyra and I am currently a graduate student at Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies (Yonsei GSIS) majoring in Korean Studies. During the summer of 2020, I was fortunate enough to be offered an internship opportunity at the East Asia Institute in Seoul.

Throughout the two months I worked at EAI, I was able to gain a lot of insight on how a South Korean think tank operates and was given the chance to participate in some of its many projects including several webinars hosted by the Asian Democratic and Research Network (ADRN) on the role of social media in a country’s democracy. My everyday tasks at the office included writing editorial comments on many insightful and informative research papers, editing and designing, and various organizational processes.

I also had the opportunity to test and display my research and presentation skills when I along with the rest of the interns were tasked to give a brief presentation on maritime issues on specific regions. Inspired by the many research journals that I read and the projects that I assisted with, I wrote a commentary paper during my time at the EAI,  touching on the subject of the various responses on the current Covid-19 pandemic.

I am grateful to build valuable connections and relationships with the people I worked with it - be it fellow interns or the research assistants. The lunches and coffee breaks we shared and bonded through are some of my fondest memories I have of my internship. Although the current pandemic made it inevitable for a certain period of my internship to be carried out from home, I nevertheless treasured and enjoyed my internship period immensely.

Thank you to the people at the East Asia Institute for giving me such a valuable opportunity to not only build more experience towards my future career, but to grow better as an individual.