Letβs talk about one highlight during my time as Mason Korea Student Government President (now Student Body President) that I found to be incredibly meaningful in both practical terms and in its significance.
Meeting the Mayor of Incheon as part of roundtable discussion alongside Student Governments from universities in Incheon was an initiative as part of RE:SPECT (μΈμ²μ²λ
κ·Έλ£Ή, literally translated to Incheon Youth Group in Korean), a collaborative initiative sponsored by the Incheon Metropolitan City to connect the youth in Incheon and its universities.
The Discussion
During the roundtable discussion, we touched on issues relevant and important to our respective student bodies, such as public transport, academic and/or cultural events, and perhaps most important to students within the Incheon Global Campus, communication with the IGC Foundation. Itβs also important to note the remarkable steps Incheon is taking as a truly βglobalβ city, notably trying to host the (tentatively named) Overseas Korean Office (μ¬μΈλν¬μ² in Korean) and 2025 APEC.
Personally, it was fantastic to attend such an event for us to network with other students to form a connection and common understanding on the improvements that we could also make on our side as leaders. The Incheon Metropolitan City also promised to follow up on what was brought up during the discussion, hopefully paving a path towards making this event a regular occasion for the future.
What does this mean for us?
This discussion as a whole, I believe, means much in the recognition of the Incheon Global Campus as a whole as a place of higher education. To be frank, the Incheon Global Campus still remains largely unknown to not only citizens within Incheon but also in Korea; despite the great opportunities that I believe the IGC offers, for us to be βthe best global education hub in the worldβ (as stated per the IGC website), recognition outside our campus is just as important as the success of our very own students.
This depends not only on us as student leaders but on every member of our community - as faces of our own university and the Incheon Global Campus, we ought to act as such: with respect, compassion, and (Patriot) pride.
