Meet the Interns: You-Jin

Helloooo readers!
My name is You-Jin. I cannot believe that I am already a rising third year at the University of Virginia. To be honest with you, I never imagined that I would go down to a small town environment nor would I double major in sociology and psychology. However, within less than six months, UVA has influenced me to think Charlottesville seems more like home, rather than my real hometown, Centreville, Virginia.

       Through experiencing Charlottesville's lively Downtown Area to the scenic views of its various hiking trails, I no longer miss the city environment. I love hanging out with my friends and doing a group activity such as the Escape Room and trying out new, local restaurants. If you want to go for a hike, Humpback Rock is always the go-to. Moreover, Blue Hole is an awesome swimming hole where one can keep cool and even rope swing. On top of local places, because Charlottesville is located around central Virginia, there are many great places within driving distance. Looking for a good night view of the sky? The Shannondoah National Park Skyline Drive is only about half an hour away; so grab your car and some blankets to take part in stargazing, observing constellations, and viewing the Milky Way. Here in Charlottesville, there is always something to do, making your weekends quite a busy adventure time!

       For me, there were many options for me to enjoy concerts and performances by showcasing with friends who also share my passion for dance. With a background in ballet, jazz, and modern dance, coming into UVA provided me with opportunities to learn new types of dances, like Kpop. At UVA there are numerous competitive dance clubs and fun teams such as the University Dance Clubs, Ballroom Dance Club, X-tasee Dance Crew, HooRaas, The Pride: Lion Dance, and many more!

Check out the most recent dance video my friends and I have performed as the Noir Team in Korean Student Association's Spring K-Expo 2019 Event.

       As much as I receive wonderful support and help from UVA, the desire to give back to the community aggregates from within me. With that being said, I introduce to you Madison House, which is the main student volunteer center at UVA. Since my first year, I have been volunteering as an IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistant at Madison House’s Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope (CASH) organization. With my first intention on serving the Charlottesville community and UVA students and learning how to conduct the tax return process, I have tasted the fruits of one’s labor, receiving happiness and seeing positive contribution to the happiness of others from helping someone save money. This organization has truly allowed me to open up and broaden my spectrum of feeling connected to not just the UVA community, but also the Charlottesville community.
       In addition to CASH, there are many volunteer services offered, from providing free tutoring to non-native English speaker, creating one-on-one relationships with seniors in the Charlottesville community, caring for farm animals, and many more. I recommend you to check out their website for a detailed list of various programs that they provide.

       If you are still unsure about what you want to do in the future, there is a place you would not regret checking out. Coming into my first year, I thought public policy and government would certainly be my field of interest, but the more classes I took in those areas, the more I questioned if this was my path. However, after visiting the UVA Career Center, I realized what I was really interested in and had a passion for. There, I took The Strong Interest Inventory Assessment which is designed to identify one's career interests by matching one's interest. Not only did the result provide suggestions for occupations, majors, internships, campus organizations, and activities which was suited to my personality, but also, it provided me with obliging career counselors who supported me in moving forward. Four months after an appointment with Mrs. Ball, she remembered me and shot me an email about an internship opportunity that matched my field of interest perfectly.
       Now, I work as a Career Peer Educator (CPE) at the UVA Career Center under the careful training from career counselors. If you would like to hear more about this type of job opportunity, please feel free to contact me.

       Overall, UVA has a plethora of resources and opportunities available to all of its students to take advantage of, but those benefits all depend on how much effort is ultimately put into searching for them. I hope you will find what you need, learn as much as you can, have a blast, and establish many memorable moments before you leave UVA!

I would absolutely love to answer any questions you have or if you simply just want to chat with me, feel free to shoot me an email! :) yy2he@virginia.edu