Hyowon
Graduate School of Political Science
ICC Student Staff Leader
November 2019-July 2024
Prologue
As a freshman in SILS (School of International Liberal Studies) who didn’t know anything about it, I assumed that the Introductory courses were only for first-year students. I started talking to the student sitting next to me in a casual way, but to my surprise, that student turned out to be a senior.… We laughed about the embarrassing situation and naturally became close friends. One day, she introduced me to ICC, which she loved and worked for. As an international student, I struggled to feel connected so I decided to apply to ICC as a Student Staff Leader to find a place where I could belong within the university. (Of course, I was always interested in cultural exchange!) This is how my journey to survive at ICC began.
MC’ing an event (ICC photo)
Early Stage: Building the Foundation
Starting my first part-time job at ICC came with its own set of challenges.
The biggest obstacle at first was the language barrier. Since I wasn’t fluent in either Japanese or English, I felt like I was starting much further behind compared to the other staff members. During meetings, I had to carefully organize my thoughts before speaking, which made my responses come later than others. When writing emails, I spent a lot of time searching for the right business expressions online, which made the task take much longer.
However, after working for a month, I discovered something important. The range of expressions used in the job wasn’t as varied as I initially thought! By focusing on frequently used phrases from my seniors’ speech and past documents, I was able to speak more naturally and cut down on the time needed for writing. I also found that some expressions that seemed trivial in Korean became more interesting when translated into Japanese or English. Being able to use these expressions as catchphrases was a unique advantage of knowing multiple languages.
The second major difficulty I faced was related to my personality. I am quite introverted, uncomfortable in a space with a lot of people, and rarely approach people first. However, the work at ICC required the exact opposite of my natural tendencies. To cope, I decided to create a new persona specifically for my role as a staff member. I acted as if I were someone else while working, doing things I would never normally do. By separating my true self from the staff persona, I managed to avoid stress from activities that didn’t align with my natural behavior. Working at ICC didn’t change my personality. I remained the same introverted person, but now I have a new secondary character.
Presentation to a big audience (ICC photo)
While I was busy adjusting to the new environment, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and I went abroad for my studies. Therefore, I had to take a year and a half off from ICC. Let’s just say it was a strategic retreat to move forward.
The Middle: Finding My Own Weapons
I was a new staff member when I left, but when I returned after a year and a half, I became a senior member. During my absence, I had forgotten almost everything about the work, and it was difficult to appear as the seasoned veteran I was supposed to be. Nevertheless, I had to have needed “weapons” to prove that my existence was valuable for ICC.
My first weapon was my skill in doing English MC. Although many staff members at ICC were good at English, they often felt intimidated by and avoided taking the role of English MC. I decided to take advantage of that point. Whenever there was an opportunity to be an English MC, I eagerly volunteered and made various efforts to excel. For example, I practiced speaking clearly and loudly, and I prepared questions in advance to engage participants in the audience. My enthusiasm and efforts paid off, and I ended up being the staff member who hosted the most English-speaking events that year (doing almost twice as many as the second-place person).
MC again! (ICC photo)
My second strength was poster design skills. While working at ICC, I discovered a new talent: I was better at design than I had initially thought. When making posters, I tried to follow three key principles: First, keep the information minimal. Second, design so the viewers can grasp the theme of the event at a glance. Third, avoid using the same main colors as other events happening around the same time. By focusing on these three principles and understanding that the primary role of a poster is to attract attention, I was able to produce impressive work that received a lot of praise.
Some of my poster designs (ICC)
There is something I really want people who read this to remember: It’s as important to showcase your strengths as it is to have them. No matter how many skills you have, if others don’t recognize them, you won’t get the chance to use them. Whenever I identified something that I was good at, I worked hard to hone that skill and then actively made sure to let others know. This was my way of proving my value.
Final Period: Leaving My Mark
Me with my poster (ICC)
As time passed, I became a long-standing member of ICC. Even the most firmly lodged stone will eventually be removed, but I wanted to leave some sort of mark to show I had been here that would last as long as possible.
To leave my mark, I chose to speak out for change. In any job, people eventually notice issues within the organization. While everyone may have a sense of what needs improvement, not everyone speaks up about it. If you want the organization to improve and develop further, it’s necessary to advocate for change, even if it’s difficult. So, I spoke up. I pointed out that the excessive amount of posters and flyers was a waste of time and resources, that certain events could be managed with just informational handouts instead of having an MC, and that many staff members were unaware of minor tasks like disposing of paper waste. I made these points in meetings, through suggestion emails, and even during casual conversations. Once an issue is brought to light, it often progresses more than you might expect.
This is how I survived at ICC. I hope this advice will be helpful to those who will start or doing the survival at ICC. (In reality, it’s more accurate to say that ICC helped me grow. Love you, ICC!)
This way! (ICC photo)
