South Korean Graduate Begins Life After UK

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 9, 2017) — Jeesun Lim is one alumna who thoroughly enjoyed her undergraduate years as an economics major at the University of Kentucky. Holding leadership positions on campus as the secretary and vice president of the Korean Student Association as well as the treasurer of the International Student Council, she found a sense of community and made lasting friendships and connections.

Showing the importance of time and patience in finding direction, Lim didn’t decide on economics as a major until her sophomore year, after she took a class with a professor that she really enjoyed. As a testament to her hard work and dedication, as well as breaks spent invested in her academics, the South Korean native graduated one semester early, in December 2016.

Being a busy student did not deter Lim from pursuing her passion for community service. As an undergraduate, she connected with the Center for Community Outreach, a campus office she praised for being organized and well tailored to student needs, and enjoyed the opportunity to tutor high school students in math and science. Certified in Red Cross emergency care, first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, she hopes to someday volunteer abroad.

Lim said that some of her fondest memories of student life were made in Kirwan Tower, a now unoccupied undergraduate residence hall on south campus.

“A lot of people would come down to hang out with us on our floor. I had a wonderful roommate too, everyone was so funny,” Lim said. “Sometimes it was chaotic, but that’s just part of our memories.”

Lim’s advice to other students is to take advantage of everything UK has to offer.

“Try to be as involved as you can, because time flies," she said. “There is so much to learn!”

Long term, “after mastering the business world,” Lim said she hopes to establish an organization that donates medical supplies to impoverished areas of the world, because “Doing good for others makes me happy.”