IISMA’s Vocational Edition 2022 Awardee from USD Goes to Kangwon National University, South Korea

In the Fall semester of 2022, Sanata Dharma University sent its awardee of the IISMA Vocational Edition, Marcell, to his university of choice the Kangwon National University in South Korea. He spent one whole semester living in South Korea, from the 31st of August until the 21st of December, 2022.

The IISMA program covers many different aspects of a student’s life at the university and allows Marcell to experience what it’s like being one at Kangwon National University. The program gives Marcell opportunities in three different environments: academic classes, industrial visits, and non-academic activities, each with clear purposes to help international students in the program like Marcell to live life at Kangwon and South Korea to the fullest extent, and to experience as much knowledge, on-field experience, and cultural exchanges as possible.

During academic classes, Marcell took 14 credits worth of courses, some of which are related to his initial mechatronics program at Sanata Dharma University such as Digital Logic Design, Applied Mathematics for AI, and Storage Systems. He also took two classes to improve his foreign language skills which are Business Communications and Korean Language.

Since this program is the vocational edition of the IISMA program, Marcell also had the opportunity to take part in industrial visits to industries related to his degree. These include the Hyundai Ulsan Plant, East West Power Donghae, and Korea Broadcasting System. Each industry allows students to learn the applications of courses that they learn in classes. For example, in Hyundai Ulsan Plant the students learned about the workflow and production of Hyundai vehicles, the implemented AI to help the production and assembly lines, and so on.

Other than these two academics-focused activities, the Vocational IISMA awardees were also given the chance to partake in many different extracurricular non-academic activities, such as sports and university festivals, drone workshops, kimchi-making volunteer activities, and group skiing. These activities allow Marcell and other Vocational IISMA awardees to form relationships and interact with each other and native students and communities, allowing them to create intercultural exchanges and practice their ability to be part of a diverse environment while improving themselves and those around them.
(FN)