The PIE: Why did you decide to become an International Student Ambassador for Brisbane?

KK: I always wanted to be famous businesswoman and when I checked the Study Brisbane website in 2012 there were a lot of media releases about Brisbane’s international students and it was a really amazing opportunity for me. So I just applied online and was lucky because they offered me an interview and I got the role.

The ambassadors are always high achievers, but they are always helpful to others, with study advice and helping each other out

The PIE: What were your responsibilities as an ambassador?

KK: The ambassador scheme is mainly promotional for Brisbane. We are volunteers all from different countries, different universities, on different programmes. I am like the voice for South Korea representing Brisbane so anything people back home in South Korea want to know they can connect with me usually on social media like Twitter and Facebook. We have lots of different events and media things to go to, sometimes we shoot films for Study Brisbane, but it’s mainly about being a connection for the city with our home countries.

The PIE: What’s the best thing about being an ambassador?

KK: The people. It’s really hard to make good friends. In high school it’s easier because you see everybody every day, but when you study abroad it’s a bit more difficult. Now I feel like I made another family here, and everybody is from different backgrounds and culture. The ambassadors are always high achievers, but they are always helpful to others, with study advice and helping each other out. Also we really share our cultures. I want to be a businesswoman in the future and just think if I had a meeting with an Indian businessman I could make him feel comfortable by knowing about his culture, and make him comfortable at the business table and negotiating stage. That’s why knowing other cultures is really important and knowing other people and having those connections.

Also I actually met one of the managers from the Lord Mayor’s administration office for the International Relations and Multicultural Affairs unit at the ambassador appointment ceremony. He offered me an internship at his office because Brisbane City Council is doing a lot of business with South Korea, so they wanted to have an intern that could speak Korean and has Korean cultural understanding.

The PIE: Tell me more about your internship with the Lord Mayor.

Knowing other cultures is really important and knowing other people and having those connections

KK: So I work in the International Relations and Multicultural Affairs unit at Brisbane City Hall. At the moment I’m in charge of the Lord Mayor’s 2014 welcome ceremony and just helping out with different projects. The Lord Mayor prepares a lot of multicultural business dinners for example, because he encourages people to have connections. 

Even though they’re not paying me it’s an investment for my future, and it’s amazing for my CV! Also, I knew throughout this internship that I would learn about connections and what it is Brisbane City Council is trying to do. Brisbane also encourages the younger generation to have good connections because it’s preparing them for work. They help a lot of youth organisations, because they think young people are really important for the future of the city. So yeah my internship might be really good, because I’m in charge of some young professional projects. It’s also a really international team; in my team we have Indian, Taiwanese, Chinese, Pilipino, two Australians, and another Korean.

The PIE: Why did you decide to study in Brisbane?