I was always intrigued about the complexities of the world. From its languages to its cultures, the world seemed like a place with endless possibilities. These endless possibilities propelled me into the position that I am in now— a NSLI-Y finalist who is going to spend 7 weeks in Seoul, South Korea. I knew this would only be the beginning.

I found out about NSLI-Y through an internet friend that I had made. She was aware of how interested I was in Korean culture and the language itself so she recommended the program. My initial thought was that I would never get into a program with such a competitive reputation, but I was never one to completely let a challenge stop me in my tracks. With my head held high and the support of countless friends and family members( to which I will always be grateful for), I went to work on the application process. I wrote down deadlines on sticky notes; I placed reminders on my phone to remind teachers about recommendation letters; I read the various blogs from alumni who had gone through the same process for insight. It was an ongoing process that at times made me worry quite a lot. I’ve never been one to be outright confident in getting accepted into something since I always told myself that there was a chance I would not get accepted. I live by the motto, “Expect the best but prepare for the worst.”

Luckily, on December 3rd, at exactly 5 p.m., I got the semi-finalist notification. I was ecstatic to say the least. I continued to prepare myself for the next part of the process: the Interview. With the help of an alumni from last year’s program, I was able to better prepare for the interview. I was lucky enough to be interviewed by someone who was comforting in her questions and extremely approachable. To my interviewer, if you see this, thank you :). The waiting process was agonizingly long. It felt like every other week my friends or family would ask if I heard back from NSLI-Y. This span of time between December and March, I did not stop repeating the motto mentioned before. It was allowing me to accept that if I did get in, great, but if I didn’t get in, life will go on. As life would have it, it all worked out.

I didn’t know I received the finalist email until I got home from work. I was a bit stressed due to the week that had just passed. I walked into my house and my parents decided they had to talk to me. At the time, there was a little voice in my head that said it was about the NSLI-Y program but I didn’t pay much mind to it. It was not until I read my parents email that said, “Congratulations on your (or your students) acceptance as a finalist.” As soon as I read the word finalist, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Just recounting it right now makes me feel exactly what I felt— a tingle in my fingers and rapid beating of my heart. To be extremely honest, I cried in such a way that surprised me. With the stress from the previous week and the constant nagging voice that assumed I wouldn’t get in, the news had me hunched over trying to catch my breath; I couldn’t stop laughing and crying at the same time. I was relieved that all the waiting had paid off and all my work into the interview had paid off as well as the work I put into the essays. I will forever be grateful for getting in on my first try. For those who read this in the future, know that your hard work will pay off in one way or another; Believe in yourself.

I didn’t mean to make this as long as it came out lol whoops. So yeah, that was the beginning of what’s to come. I am currently counting the days down until I leave to Seattle with 49 other people that I am dying to meet. These are the people who I alluded to in my essays; The people that I hope to make connections with that will last a lifetime. Please enjoy our journey as we venture to Seoul. Thank you for reading.

🙂