In this blog post, I will summarize how my academic efforts, school activities, and experiences with empathy and collaboration during high school relate to my application to the Department of Art Education at Daegu National University of Education.

Academic Experience and Lessons Learned

While in high school, I chose to major in art. Although my school was a general high school, it operated separate classes for students majoring in arts and physical education, so I was part of the art college entrance exam preparation class. I attended regular classes with my peers, but spent the remaining time in the preparation class, where I was able to study practical skills and theory in depth, which was extremely helpful. The teacher in charge of the art college preparation class personally designed the practical curriculum and provided the educational environment so that we could prepare for art college without having to attend private academies. Thanks to this, I was able to practice a well-rounded mix of basic theory and practical skills, including conceptualization and expression, sculpture, life drawing, Western painting, and Eastern painting.
Since I intended to choose sculpture as my specific major, I actively participated in the sculpture classes. Using tools such as hammers and chisels to carve and shape materials like wood, clay, and plaster, I created a variety of works, including busts, free-standing sculptures, and reliefs. When creating busts, I strove to convey a sense of life through facial expressions alone, without the need for arm or leg movements, and in my miniature work, I focused on the detailed depiction of everyday objects such as food, furniture, and household items.
The works I created in this way continued to improve through peer evaluations and teacher assessments within the college preparatory class, which greatly helped me enhance my practical skills. Through the creative process, I developed my powers of observation and expression, and as I realized I truly enjoyed detailed sculptural work, I gained confidence in my aptitude for the major and my career choice.

School Activities: Class President and Web Group Management

In the college preparatory class, I served as class president, taking responsibility for class management and maintaining the learning environment. I gathered classmates who were scattered about at designated times and locations, and I managed a group chat to regularly post announcements, ensuring that everyone—without exception—attended classes and completed assignments. I prioritized promptly communicating changes to class schedules or assignments and ensuring that everyone had access to the information.
Initially, our activities were limited to sharing materials via the chat room, but as our efforts grew, the volume of materials to share increased. I began organizing the college admissions materials I received from our teacher, along with information I had clipped, and posting them online. I promoted the web address in the group chat, encouraged members to sign up, and managed the bulletin board. I also worked to create a space where classmates could voluntarily find and upload materials to share with one another.
Our regular meetings took place daily, so we spent a significant portion of each day together. Since we spent so much time in the practical skills practice room, conflicts sometimes arose over the arrangement of space, seating, and equipment. The practice room wasn’t very large, and as the number of students hoping to major in the field increased, complaints arose regarding existing seating arrangements. I explained that we couldn’t discriminate against those who joined later as they were also members of the class, and I proposed that everyone show compromise and cooperation.
Whenever conflicts arose, I convened group meetings to listen to all opinions and strive to reach a consensus. Since it is difficult to reach a fair conclusion by prioritizing only one side’s opinion, I made it a principle to gather everyone’s input as much as possible and find the fairest solution. Through these meetings and the process of reaching consensus, I exercised leadership and worked to ensure the art preparation class operated efficiently.

Examples of Practicing Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation

Since I was primarily a member of the regular class, I made an effort to participate in all class duties, such as daily class duties, lunch duty, and cleaning assignments. However, because I frequently had to go back and forth to the practical skills class for practice, it was difficult to juggle afternoon activities. Therefore, I adjusted my schedule so that I would complete most class activities in the morning or during lunch break and focus on practical skills practice in the afternoon.
It was particularly difficult when it was my turn for dinner serving duty. For dinner serving, I had to perform my duty in the classroom and then return to the practical art class to eat, but if the practical art class had already pre-ordered dinner, the timing wouldn’t work out, and I often missed my meal. When it was my turn, I prioritized my duty over dinner and would return to the practical art class to rest after finishing my duties.
My classmates understood my situation and helped me out. My classmates swapped their dinner duty shifts with my lunch duty shifts, and my art class peers would sometimes set aside food on my tray for me. I also willingly stepped in to cover their duties or class responsibilities when they were struggling, and made sure they got their meals—we supported each other in this way. Through these experiences, I learned the true meaning of consideration and teamwork.

Strengths from My Upbringing and Teaching Experience

I grew up in an artistic environment at home. My father is a photographer and my mother is a fashion designer—both work in the arts—so I naturally developed an interest in self-expression through clothing and photography from a young age. I enjoyed expressing myself through my appearance—such as choosing and altering my own clothes or decorating my indoor shoes—and I also loved taking photos.
I have a vivid imagination, so art class was always my favorite time of the day. I viewed the process of freely expressing my desires and creating works that reflected my imagination as “conceptualization and expression,” and exercising my creativity greatly helped me improve my art skills. My high school art teacher also highly praised the uniqueness and creativity of my work.
Through such praise and experiences, I became convinced that art was my calling, and after deciding on a career in elementary education, I chose art education as my major. I will continue to conduct research to become a teacher who can draw out elementary students’ imagination and effectively guide them in “Conception and Expression.” I also aim to be a teacher who encourages students’ growth and builds their confidence by offering plenty of praise and positive feedback.