1. Please introduce yourself briefly.
Hello, I am Seo In-gyeong, currently majoring in international studies and global governance at university. I have a deep interest in diplomatic relations between countries, conflict situations, and marginalized vulnerable states and refugees. During this second half of the year, as a volunteer, I am in charge of the ‘Refugee Scholarship Support Program (Good Samaritan Scholarship Program)’, and I hope to face refugee youth directly and work through the difficulties they face together with them.
2. Please tell us your motivation for joining MAP.
I first met MAP through the Human Library program. Through this experience, I was able to go beyond understanding refugees as a collective group, and to indirectly feel and learn about the life of one individual. So I applied in order to hear the voices of refugees who dream of resettling in Korea, and to help in that process.
3. What do you think our society needs most right now in order to become a better society?
Modern society has advanced beyond the past in many fields such as the economy, technology and culture. Even so, I think indifference toward and exclusion of minorities and the socially vulnerable remain, or are getting worse. In the busy flow of daily life, some people may have difficulty carrying on everyday life because they do not share a language, and others because their bodies are not comfortable. So what is needed to become a better society seems to be a heart that can look after the difficulties of those around us, and practical action.
4. What gives you your own small but certain happiness?
I like experiencing new things alone. For example, I am interested in traveling alone, listening to music and going to exhibitions. Having my own time to organize my thoughts and calm my mind seems to be a sure way of guaranteeing my happiness.
5. What is something you have never done but want to try in order to discover yourself?
What I want to try in order to discover myself is an ‘Africa trip’. Because I usually like nature and animals, I want to see and feel a wider world with my own eyes. While traveling, I want to meet various people and experience cultures, and have the experience of accepting ‘difference’ as ‘freshness’.
6. Finally, what kind of ‘change’ do you want to bring about through your work at MAP?
Through my volunteer work at MAP, I want to break my prejudices about difficulty and find the driving force for growth. I have been afraid of taking on difficulties and have avoided them whenever I felt my limits, but I want to bring about a change in which I overcome my own limits as well, while finding breakthroughs for solutions together with refugees. So I look forward even more to the scholarship program ahead, and I have no doubt that it will be an opportunity to bring a meaningful change to my own life too.
