Ha Yeon Park, Alumna, Class of 2013, Century Park Campus

I am currently a student at the University of Warwick, studying Economics. Economics is wonderful because it is a bit of everything I like, including Maths, Business, and common sense. However, I did not choose Economics to become an economist. My true ambition is to become a Maths teacher in the future, and I discovered my passion for and ability in Maths during my time at YCIS.

I attended YCIS from Year 5 through my IB graduation in 2013. In High School, with the school’s family-like environment at the Century Park Campus, I had the chance to easily and comfortably interact with my teachers. Their support, attention, and feedback inspired me to help my fellow classmates with their Maths work after class, and I soon realised my ability in teaching. I liked the feeling when people understood what I taught them, and found that their sense of achievement was one that I could share. After feeling this sense of accomplishment, I decided that teaching Maths was what I wanted to do.

This school year, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do an internship at YCIS for several weeks. I interned in the Maths Department and assisted Secondary Maths classes. The experience helped me to see what it was like to lead a class, and to understand the differences in teaching various year levels. I learnt that leading a class is very different from tutoring one to two students, and the overall internship was extremely valuable.

When I graduate from college, I would like to gain a few years of “real world” experience in something Maths-related before I go into teaching. Although I can teach algebra from a textbook, I know that I wouldn’t really know how to apply those skills until I have used them in the real world.

For current high school students trying to figure out what you want to do, you really have to take the time to reflect, and to look inside yourself for what you want to do in the future, rather than listening to others. There are so many opportunities at YCIS that can help guide you to choose a career path or major, so embrace them now!