Meet Hanbyoul Kang! She is an International Student from Korea studying Physiology and Neurobiology. Below, she shares her experience at UConn thus far and her future hopes and aspirations with us!
Please tell us your name, your year, and why you chose your major or area of academic interest.
My name is Hanbyoul Kang, and I am currently a senior at UConn, majoring in Physiology and Neurobiology. I chose this major because I want to help people who are suffering from brain cancer or unknown mental disorders.
What was a major culture shock to you when you came to UConn?
I did not get a culture shock at UConn because I went to high school in the US for a while as well. What shocked me when I arrived at UConn was dairy bar ice cream! Their ice cream is the best in the world!
Have you had to overcome any academic difficulties as an international student? If so, how did you overcome them?
It is quite common for both international and native students to experience academic concerns at some point during college or throughout their college career. I think international students can experience challenges in a number of areas, including language barriers. From my experience, I actively practice in my spare time to improve my vocabulary and grammar. However, the most important thing is “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes”. Truth be told, most barriers can be overcome simply by trying and not being afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are an important part of learning and should be looked at as an opportunity for greater understanding.
What types of clubs/extracurricular activities are you involved in and how do they supplement your academic interests?
I am currently involved in the Korean International Student Organization as the president, and we are trying to share Korean culture with various people. We also provide free Korean tutoring every Wednesday and Thursday night at the library. I am also a member of UConn Generation Connect. It is a group of dedicated students who travel twice a week to the Mansfield Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, which supports older adults by helping them perform activities to strengthen their minds and cognitive ability. I participate in various group activities, which help me develop meaningful relationships with these older adults. I think I really help improve the quality of life for the older adults there. Through both activities, I learned how to engage effectively with people from diverse backgrounds. Coming to UConn and being surrounded by various experiences and knowledge has helped me get closer to my future goals.
What career are you interested in the future and how does that tie to your identity/relate to your current interests now?
While working as an undergraduate research assistant in various labs including UConn, I always thought that I wanted to incorporate basic medical research into the medical field. This is because I learned a lot during my time as an undergraduate research assistant at UConn.
What are your future career plans/goals?
In the future, I hope to go to medical school. Then I would like to sympathize and communicate with people who are suffering from many different mental disorders, understand the situation they are in, and help them not to be alienated from society.
