Photo courtesy of Sei Hoon Lee

GMU Korea student interns at an intergovernmental organization

BY SUNGWON MUN, REPORTER

Hye Rin Yoon, a GMU Korea global affairs and psychology senior currently working as an intern in the Global Green Growth Institution (GGGI), takes the front line for global affairs students who aspire to be part of an international organization one day.

In May, following her time in Fairfax, Yoon began work at GGGI, an intergovernmental organization that works with developed and developing countries to deliver sustainable growth projects.  As a senior who will be graduating this year, Yoon was looking for an internship that would spark her career in the international field. Just as she was doing so, the Career Development Center informed the students about an internship at GGGI and helped with the application process. Nonetheless, the process came with hardships. Yoon had to overcome her fear of the in-person interviews conducted during the application process. She had to make sure to know more about the organization in advance, so she could present herself both professionally and authentically during the in-person interviews.

Winning through the tough interviews, Yoon now works in the human resources unit and Green Climate Fund Liaison Office. In the human resources unit, she helps her employer to brand the project by creating content for various media platforms. As for the liaison office, she assists in development project research and proposal organization for existing programs.

While most students find the Global Affairs major to be a broad realm, Yoon finds it depends on how one would narrow his or her concentration.

Yoon recommends to, “Actively seek out for opportunities and research what is out there! Take advantage of all the resources around you – GMUK Career Center, your professors, your peers, job sites, online forums, etc,” Yoon said. “It is very important to find out what you like. However, it is just as important to find out what you don’t like. As you try different things, you get to learn about yourself more and more. Go at your own pace and enjoy the discovery process.”