Class Year: 2023
Program Major: PhD in Social Welfare
As a member of the International Student Advisory Council (ISAC), Hyunjune Lee is helping international students grow their sense of belonging at ǿմý. Newly created this semester, ISAC strives to improve support for, and engagement with, the campus’s international students by providing an additional way to connect with the Office of International Student Services (ISS).
The 14-person council includes undergraduate and graduate international student representatives who work on projects within ISS to hone their leadership skills and engage with the campus community. Council members also work to represent and advocate for their international peers by sharing their perspectives with ISS staff.
Lee earned his Bachelor of Social Work degree from Seoul National University in South Korea, and his Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan. While working as an intern at various youth agencies in South Korea and the U.S., he participated in interpersonal interventions, community organizing, and program and policy evaluation. These experiences helped shape his current academic interests: the impact of socially formed gender norms and aggressive behaviors of youth after exposure to violence.
Lee ultimately chose the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences’ social welfare doctoral program after meeting with faculty members whose academic interests aligned up with his own. The warm welcome and kindness from everyone at the school also helped seal the deal, he said.
Lee has enjoyed being work with other international students at the Mandel School and across campus through his involvement with ISAC. As the end of the semester approaches, he is looking forward to winter break.
“I don't specifically celebrate the end-of-the-year holidays,” he said, “but I simply love the holiday spirit!”