NOVA Students Studying in South Korea!

안녕하세요 from Incheon, South Korea! This month a small but mighty contingency of NOVA students flew 16 hours to participate in NOVA’s inaugural partnership with Mason Korea. The students are completing NOVA’s International Business and Economics study abroad program, taking Mason courses (with NOVA equivalencies) alongside Mason Korea students with Mason faculty, who bring unique and enriching perspectives to the course work in Incheon, South Korea.

In their business course, Global Environment of Business, the students have surveyed small business owners and managers in the community along Triple Street, learning about how they market to and engage with both local and international customers. They are also a part of a larger marketing and business partnership occurring at Mason Korea, interviewing small business owners at a local fish market, connecting the business owners to social media outlets to grow their reach.

Outside of the classroom, the students spend time together learning about the history, language and culture of South Korea. This past weekend they visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was built in 1395 and used by the Joseon dynasty. They also visited the Jogyesa temple, the primary Buddhist temple for the Jogye Order. While taking a break from the heat in their Hanbok dresses (which is promoted as a part of the Korean cultural experience in that area), they learned to play Yut Nori, a traditional Korean board game. The students were so excited for this opportunity, they opted to leave the dorms an hour earlier to have more time in the area (they were all ready to leave at 6:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning!).

The students report gaining confidence in their academic and personal capacities, and it is only week two! This program was designed with course work that fits into several of NOVA’s majors, and as a result several students were able to use their financial aid to participate. While the program was limited this year due to housing capacities and construction within the dorms, next year, we look forward to welcoming more students to this unique and beneficial program! We would also like to thank Dr. Cynthia Pascal for her work in securing additional funds as part of the Online Virginia Network, expanding educational opportunities like study abroad to NOVA Online students.

This study abroad opportunity was built by the study abroad team in the Office of Academic Affairs, but the Faculty-led Study Abroad Application is now open! Please find more information in the Daily Flyer or contact Abbey Jones, associate director for specialty programs at ajones@nvcc.edu or studyabroad@nvcc.edu for more information. We are grateful to the countless NOVA faculty, staff and members of leadership who have helped make opportunities like this possible at NOVA.

Stay tuned for more updates from South Korea and student stories as our Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking Program departs on July 14!

Submitted by:
Abbey Jones, Assoc. Director for Specialty Programs, AJones@nvcc.edu