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The Salzburg Global Seminar – Korea Foundation Fellowship connects Korean leaders with a diverse, innovative, and global network of Fellows

Salzburg Global Seminar asked Eunsil Bak, a Fellow taking part in the first year of the program, about her experience.

“My name is Eunsil Bak. I'm currently working as a project coordinator in the Social Work Department at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in Cambodia. I have been interested in how the school teachers and social workers help the vulnerable youth in Korea to have a healthy mind and succeed in school.”

After her internship in 2019, Eunsil returned to Salzburg Global Seminar three years later as a Fellow.

“I was an intern [at Salzburg Global Seminar] in 2019 and one of my dream was to become a Fellow to have a global network and have discussions with diverse people across the globe. I found that Salzburg Global Seminar provides the education sessions about the social emotional learning which is connected to my interest.”

Eunsil shares how the Fellowship Program has shifted her perspective in the field of education.

“[Before] I only focused on methods for the low-income students to have academic achievements, but I realized that just only focusing on the academic goal cannot make students happy, and there is more. It was social emotional learning like education is knowing who you are and how you fit into the world and how I can contribute to the world. Through that concept I want to help the vulnerable students in Korea.”

Each Fellow is assigned with a mentor from their respective field of interest as part of the Fellowship Program.

“I met my mentor, Joanne. She told me that many teachers and even the government, they focused on academic achievement as well. We did a process to think about how my school life was. So, I found out why I focused on only the academic achievement, but [I realized that] the social emotional learning should be considered first. If time allows, I want to rewrite my research based on what I learned.”

Salzburg Global Seminar: What does being Korean mean to you in this global age?

“Being Korean [means to] have a more understanding of other countries because we experienced the Korean War, and we were one of the most poorest countries and we have a sad history, so I think that kind of experience, we can have a better understanding of other cultures. Through that better understanding, I think we can embrace more people from diverse countries.”

Who would you recommend this Fellowship Program to?

“By attending this Fellowship Program, I realized that there were many others like me working hard with passion in their own fields. I very much look forward to the future that such people will create and although the future I envision may seem impossible, there is meaning in being part of the movement together. This gives me the courage to try harder and challenge myself.”

For more information, check out our program!