Helen moved to the United States a few months ago. Since then, she has made strides in improving her English fluency while also feeding her extracurricular passions.
Originally from South Korea, Helen decided to take a gap year from Kyunghee University in Seoul, where she has been studying Business for the past three years. She moved to Ann Arbor to join her uncle, who also lives in the city. Studying English was her first goal in moving to the US, although she had a good foundation in the language from studying at an English academy back home. So far, she enjoys the lifestyle in Ann Arbor and appreciates the positive community MLC affords.
After she graduates from MLC, Helen is keeping her options open for the future. “If I can control my English, I can do anything in Korea,” she says. In terms of speaking English, “this ability is very high,” she asserts. She says that she can use her English in any facet of life she chooses to pursue.
While her original dream when starting university was to be the CEO of a company, she later landed on another dream that has stuck with her since childhood: acting. In the last year, Helen has spent her free time acting, singing, and dancing and hopes to one day be in the entertainment industry. She aims to market her uniqueness as a Korean actress in the American entertainment scene, but first plans to start her career in South Korea. As of now, auditioning for acting clubs in the area, practicing her singing, and taking dance classes feeds her passion for entertainment, while simultaneously helping her English skills grow.
Another passion of Helen’s is her Youtube channel, which she started to keep connections to her family back in Korea. “When I was in Korea, I always shared everything with my family and I thought they were wondering about my American life here,” she says. “That’s why I started my Youtube channel.” Her channel includes day-in-my-life content, highlighting her life in Ann Arbor. From kayaking to apple picking, Helen vlogs it all for her family and anyone else to enjoy. It also allows her to practice English outside of the classroom.
One thing Helen highlights about her English journey so far is her ability to travel more freely. Last summer, she traveled to Europe with her cousins and her English skills helped her get around more easily. In the US, moments where Helen feels most proud of her ESL journey are during small interactions with people, like ordering a coffee. She also watches an American drama series every night, which helps with comprehension and consistency in her learning. Some advice Helen would give to others just starting to learn English is to “start small” and improve a small amount each day. It is surprising how much progress can be made with small, consistent efforts.
From her previous experiences learning English in Korea, to acting classes, to drama television series, to attending MLC full time– Helen certainly is immersed in English wherever she goes– and will continue to be on her journeys beyond MLC.
If you would like to check out Helen’s YouTube channel, the link can be found here.
