High School Graduation

I was born and grew up in Seoul, South Korea. I decided to study abroad in China in 2016 to learn Chinese as China was a new rising country in that period. I went to Shanghai, the economics center in China, and initially attended a local school but an international division. International division (国际部) is a program that provides a Chinese educational system for international students. I was allocated to a course, spending most of the time learning the Chinese language and culture for students with insufficient Chinese levels. Students who spoke Chinese fluently received another course. I finished the middle school program at a local school in Shanghai, then moved to another school that provides an American educational system in an international division.

The school was providing an American educational system, but it belonged to a local school's international division. Therefore, they conferred American and Chinese high school diplomas by receiving extra Chinese and American high school courses. After my sophomore year, the school's contract with the local school expired, so my friends and I moved to the same school on the Beijing campus. Since I lived in Shanghai for three years, adjusting to another city was tough. However, I successfully adjusted by participating in various campus activities such as flag football, basketball, and school band. After a semester, COVID broke out to the world, and I had to finish the rest of the semesters online at my home in South Korea.

Beijing campus had three kinds of diplomas depending on students' academic achievements. My diploma was called the "STEM Track Diploma." I received several STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses provided by the school. I also received a high school diploma from the Beijing government by taking extra Chinese courses.