Seoyoon Lee (biochemistry and microbiology)
Seoyoon Lee (biochemistry and microbiology) found the work term of her dreams at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena in Germany. As a research intern, Seoyoon carved out opportunities to develop her cultural intelligence at every turn.
Advancing the UN SDGs through CIFAL UVic
As part of her work term, funded by Global Skills Opportunity, Seoyoon was taking part in a new UVic co-op initiative that helps students directly link their work to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
This program, developed in partnership with CIFAL Victoria, a training centre connected to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), provides students who do co-op terms outside Canada with the opportunity to receive UN accreditation for engaging in co-op work terms that advance the UN SDGs as part of their experiences. They must also lead a community-based activity that supports the SDGs in their host country.
Engaging with community
Seoyoon engaged in two major events focused on community engagement: Diversity Days and Community of Action Week, aimed at fostering equality and promoting health and well-being.
During Diversity Days, Seoyoon focused on creating awareness regarding diversity and equality within post-secondary institutions.
“It was interesting to hear how everyone’s solution to making Jena a more diverse and inclusive environment differed depending on their cultural background. This helped me realize that all the questions I should ask and the brainstorming I partake should conform to Germanic Europe’s cultural values more than my own two backgrounds.”
The second event, Community of Action Week, concentrated on promoting mental and physical health for students and citizens in Jena by hosting informative lectures, roundtable discussions and activities such as yoga in the morning and creating renewable energy by cycling.
“These multicultural interactions and problem-solving activities inspired me to continue to question and develop my CQ Drive. I was motivated to learn about what other EC2U institutions were doing to promote diversity on their campuses and how each university differed from each other to best accommodate their cultural traditions and values,” she shares.
Advancing UN SDGs 3, 4, 5 and 10
hrough these activities, Seoyoon also addressed several UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 10 (Reducing Inequalities), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being).
Developing leadership skills
Reflecting on her leadership skills, Seoyoon shared her experience organizing an information booth to assist international students in settling into the new city. This allowed her to showcase her ability to direct, inform, and lead, contributing to the development of her leadership skills.
Seoyoon also acknowledged her growth in public speaking during roundtable discussions, saying, “Public speaking has always been a challenge for me. Being able to voice my own thoughts and those of people whom I have worked with these past few weeks has been an important personal achievement and inspired me to want to develop leadership skills that I can showcase more publicly, and not those just behind the scenes.”
Making connections
These activities facilitated valuable networking opportunities where she interacted not only with fellow students but also with research professors and lab assistants. She shares, “I hope these connections I made will be valuable in my scientific career moving forward especially if I want to conduct further research in Nano-medicine after my undergrad.”
Overall, Seoyoon’s community engagement activities served as a platform for strengthening her leadership skills, particularly in public speaking, enhance her cultural intelligence, and building a network that extends beyond borders.