Emerson James

I originally came to KU to study medicine before a joke in a class led to me flying across the ocean to spend a year in Seoul, Korea. Fast forward three years and I have attended three separate Korean universities, worked for the premier magazine publisher in Korea, am currently in China studying Chinese at a school for Korean students and have a great job lined up for when I return to the USA this summer. I say this so that I can also say that none of it would have been possible had it not been for the great faculty and resources available to students in the EALC department.

Speaking to future students, make sure to take advantage of everything the department has to offer - great teachers, great students, scholarships, study abroad and more. No one is going to just hand you opportunities, but there is an overwhelming amount of support for those students working hard to create their own. Make sure you are the students taking advantage of that support by developing relationships with professors, studying that which interests you and not giving up when everything seems too difficult. Your success will be the result of a team effort, and KU’s EALC department is more than willing to help you succeed as long as you are working hard as hard as they are.