Seo Young-Su

This summer, eight teams were selected for the Sung-Gok Global Ambassador (SGA) program by the Institute of International Education Dept, Kookmin University. Our university is especially passionate about cultivating global talent and SGA is an overseas expedition program for raising international competitiveness of students. The aim of this program is to nurture the student to develop global perspectives through special summer experiences.

What is SGA?

Students freely choose the expedition theme and country. With the great popularity of the program, a lot of students apply for this program every April. The members of SGA spend about 2 weeks of their summer vacation according to the team’s plan. For example, they visit government agencies, universities, and social organizations to promote our Kookmin University and each team member receives a scholarship. One team is made up of 6 students and 1 professor.

How to Apply

Many students want to apply for the SGA program. To help you prepare for the next SGA program, we conducted interviews with few 2012 SGA participants who gladly shared their experiences. We hope you find their insights helpful.

1. Make a completely feasible theme
Theme’s viability and quality is a key measure that the examiners use to evaluate the efficiency and potential value. And be sure that SGA’s main goal is to promote Kookmin University, not the trip. Remember that!
“Our team had a clear theme that was to promote Kookmin University. So we held a special event for foreigners. Furthermore, one team member is an honorary ambassador for Kookmin University. It was a big help for our team performance. She knew a lot of information for our university and had a great skill to promote and introduce our university. We handed out Korean traditional gift to foreigners. It was small but many people liked it. And, they developed interest in our university,” said Lee So-Yeon, 2012 SGA participant.

2. ‘Contact’ is the best important thing
According to the criteria for selection, visiting agencies is very important. Our university authorities want to see visits. If you are preparing for SGA, you should take that advice and implement that in your plan.

“Our team’s merit was that we already had a relationship with Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Australia. The consul promised to help our team performance. Before we apply for SGA, we developed a list of agencies to visit and we contacted many agencies. We visited the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Korean Women’s Development Institute in Korea, Consulate General, Willoughby Council, MOSAIC as civic group, SBS as multicultural broadcasting company, and universities, etc. Thanks to thoroughly preparing in advance, our expedition was a big success.” said Kim Yeon-Hong , 2012 SGA participant.

3. Must be differentiated from other teams
It is very important to have a ‘strategy of differentiation.’ Every year, too many teams apply for SGA and they occasionally overlap expedition themes and countries. In this case, the ‘strategy of differentiation’ will help you and your team.
“Above all things, you need to be able to explain to the authorities why you are going to that country. Once you choose the team theme and country, you must try to collect information, report, and do some interviews. The data we gathered helped to build feasibility and develop necessary reasons for SGA. I think the most important thing is visiting agencies plan and making perfect budget. So we submited our team plan with list of visiting agencies, e-mails to the persons in charge and the outline of the budget.” said Kim Seong-Su , 2012 SGA participant.

The Outcome

SGA participants fulfill their duties as ambassadors of Kookmin University. They introduce our university and improve international exchanges. And each participant gains a chance to develop global-mind.
“Participating in SGA is the great opportunity during my entire college life. It was my first travel aboard. I already know this program when I was a freshman, so I really wanted to enjoy the SGA team. I was very excited to recommend this program to my friends. Setting the team goal and making a plan were not easy work, but I met a lot of foreign friends and had best team members. I recommend other students to apply for the SGA program.” said Kim Sol-Lae, 2012 SGA participant.
“I think SGA is the best Kookmin University global program. I learned the value of team work through this program. In March, I made the best team for SGA program with nice people. We did everything together as a team. We worked as a team. As a result, we were selected and successfully completed our expedition. Team work is more important than anything else to succeed.” said Kwon Hye-Jeong, 2012 SGA participant.

You have this chance to experience the SGA program. Challenge is the privilege of youth. Try it! The SGA program will change your entire college life!

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