By Felisse Marianne Z. San Juan
Annyeonghaseyo!
Committed to deepen its existing partnership with Gimcheon University, South Korea, the Lyceum of the Philippines University-Laguna sent outbound students and welcomed inbound students, academic year 2016-2017.
Mingyu Choi, Lee Kiju, Lee Junghyeon, and Yun Jiyong, all students taking up Bachelor of Science in Tourism in GU, arrived in LPU-L for a one-year exchange program under the College of International Tourism and Hospitality Management. Meanwhile for outbound, Kirsten Abigail Amodia, Maria Kyunga Park and Nika Ella Manalo are completing their final year of study in the said Korean university. They are enrolled in Bachelor of Science in International Travel and Tourism Management. Aside from taking up Korean language classes and other academic units, the LPU students will also conduct their internship in Korean hotels and restaurants.
“I want to experience the Korean culture and share ours as Filipinos as well. Having the opportunity to be an exchange student mean strengthening the relationship between GU and LPU-L. I think this will lead us to endless opportunities in the tourism industry for I know this program will train and educate us as well,” Manalo said.
Amodia, meanwhile, stated, “I want to experience the Korean culture and meet new people. As a Tourism student, I believe it’s important that I learn a lot about a country’s culture. Through this exchange program, I can also meet other students who have different nationalities. I believe that this program will lead me to bigger opportunities and get great jobs in the future.”
“I want to be an exchange student because I want to experience the difference between the tourism programs here and there. This will lead to bigger opportunities and to landing a good job someday,” Park stated. True enough, in her early months of staying in Korea, she won in the Gimcheon University Festival Singing Contest and took home a certificate and cash prize.