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My name is Jenna Thomas, and I grew up in Fayetteville, Georgia. I graduated from ³ÉÈËBÕ¾ in December 2024.  My interest in East Asia began in high school, after a visit to South Korea during my sophomore year. During my junior year of high school, when I was looking how to develop this interest, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Sungshin Kim over Zoom, who introduced me to the East Asian Studies program at ³ÉÈËBÕ¾. What drew me to the program was its specificity: while many schools offered broader Asian Studies programs, ³ÉÈËBÕ¾ allowed me to focus more directly on Korea, which aligned perfectly with my interests.

Looking back, the most impactful aspect of the program was the many opportunities it provided to expand my knowledge and connect with people from around the world. One particularly meaningful experience was working and studying alongside students from South Korea and Japan in my courses. Hearing their perspectives helped me better understand the topics we studied from a first-person point of view. My study abroad experience also helped me refine my academic focus and encouraged me to pursue the study of Korean art-history. Through these experiences, the program opened my eyes to a rich history and culture that I might not have discovered otherwise.

I am currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in History of Art, Theory, and Display. There, I am building on the foundation I developed through my undergraduate major and minor. In the future, I hope to work in museum curation and eventually in higher education, where I can continue researching East Asian art and help expand representation of East Asian cultures in the Western art world.

My advice to students considering the East Asian Studies program at ³ÉÈËBÕ¾ is to step outside of your comfort zone. Take courses that you might not initially expect to enjoy, and get involved in the many opportunities the program offers. If possible, I would also recommend waiting until your junior year to study abroad so you have stronger language skills beforehand (something I wish I had done). That said, studying abroad was still an incredible experience. The professors in the program are deeply supportive and consistently challenge students to grow academically and personally. Thanks to their guidance, I was able to discover new interests and pursue opportunities I had never imagined before.