In this blog post, I will outline my motivation for applying to the Child Development program and my future career plans, drawing on the study habits, school activities, and experiences of empathy and collaboration I developed during high school.

Academic Experience and Reflections

Having played volleyball for a long time as a child, I initially lacked the habit of sitting down and studying consistently. I was unfamiliar with study methods and felt frustrated because I didn’t know how to proceed on my own. However, I eventually formed a study group with like-minded friends, and that became a turning point in my academic journey.
Our study group consisted of students who couldn’t afford private tutoring; we operated by checking each other’s progress and sharing our schedules. Since everyone excelled in different subjects, we couldn’t fully teach one another, but a friend who loved math organized math formulas for us, and those strong in language arts helped us solve difficult poems or passages together and explained them. In this way, we gradually shared each other’s strengths.
I viewed this study group as an opportunity to study and gave it my all. I established a routine of studying regularly for about an hour every morning and three hours before bed. Although it was difficult and uncomfortable at first, it naturally became a habit through repetition. The fact that I consistently sat down and gave it a try was the biggest change.
Through the study group, I also began to reflect on my strengths and eventually discovered that my ability to quickly understand and master English grammar was my greatest asset. As I focused on improving my English skills, I gained opportunities to explain concepts to my friends, and the experience of helping others boosted my confidence. Once this habit became second nature, I found it easier to study other subjects as well.

Major Campus Activities and Reflections

At the beginning of the semester, I joined a volunteer club and was assigned to the children’s welfare center team. While club members were divided into various groups and dispatched to senior citizen, youth, and children’s welfare centers, I was assigned to the children’s welfare center and participated consistently. At first, I began by wondering, “What can I do for these children?”
At first, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to do anything that provided immediate help, like teaching classes or serving meals, but I decided to find what I could do and took on the cleaning tasks that others tended to avoid. Once a week, I performed repetitive household chores such as washing the center’s bedding, cleaning under wardrobes, straightening wallpaper, and washing toys in the playroom. Through these tasks, I naturally came to understand the center’s operations and the services it provided.
In addition to basic living support, the children’s welfare center was gradually expanding its scope of activities to offer various experiential programs. I saw the children grow through these experiences—whether it was taking children who had no opportunity to see performances to shows, supporting the well-being of their mothers, or engaging in activities like theater and art that fostered their senses and self-expression. It was then that I first clearly realized that “children grow through these experiences.”
As I participated in the center’s activities, my desire to learn more grew. I learned to cook so I could prepare meals for the children myself, and although I wasn’t skilled at art, I watched and learned from others to make art sessions with the children run more smoothly. I also learned how to explain things to the children in a friendly and easy-to-understand manner. All of these experiences led to my interest in the Department of Child Studies.

Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections

I cannot leave out the class sports day as an experience where I truly felt the value of cooperation. Our class didn’t have many standout “athletes” in running or strength-based events, but there was an atmosphere of mutual consideration. Our homeroom teacher often said, “Let’s all go together,” and following her example, we naturally developed an attitude of giving way to one another and working together.
During the preparation for the sports day, we focused on cheering and teamwork with the goal of “having fun.” We each faithfully carried out our assigned roles; I was in charge of reserving the playground and balls early in the morning to ensure everything ran smoothly on the day of the event. The students who were good at sports worked hard to manage their physical condition, while those preparing cheering props practiced their cheers diligently right up until the last day.
As a result, we unexpectedly took first place. That was when I realized that cooperation and consideration can be a greater source of strength than individual ability. Our attitude of compromise and looking out for one another went beyond mere virtue to actually produce positive results, and that experience became a valuable standard for me in subsequent team activities.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

From a young age, I was in an environment marked by competition and emotional pain. The pressure and comparisons I faced while playing sports, combined with the emotional scars that accumulated as my family situation became difficult due to my parents’ divorce during middle school, took a toll on me. Whenever that happened, the teachers, seniors, and friends around me held me up, and the comfort and support they gave me became a great source of strength. That experience led to my resolution to become someone who can comfort others in their pain.
Through volunteer work at a child welfare center, my desire to study child development professionally became firmly established. I believe the Child Development major provides a solid foundation in child development and welfare practice, and I am confident that this path will lead me to my desired career of “healing people’s emotional wounds.”
Once I enter university, I aim to become a professional in the field of social welfare by acquiring a balanced foundation of both theory and practical skills. I will diligently participate in classes to solidify my foundational knowledge in child studies, and I will broaden my knowledge by attending lectures on psychology and counseling, as well as various courses offered by Mokpo National University. Additionally, I will actively take advantage of volunteer and internship opportunities both on and off campus to gain extensive hands-on experience.
I plan to continue gaining diverse field experience to become a professional equipped with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Through a wider range of volunteer work and hands-on experiences than I had in high school, I will develop the practical ability to communicate with children in real-life situations and provide them with emotional support. Ultimately, I aspire to grow into a professional who supports children’s emotional well-being and development, and to be a source of comfort and support for others.