Who Am I?

Hi, my name is Jun Park.

My life began in Seoul, South Korea where I spent the early years of my childhood. I don't remember much from when I was that young, but I do have a few pictures of toddler Jun and his family that I still like to look at. What I've been told is that I really enjoyed art  and fooling around.

When I was 6 years old, my family decided to immigrate to the United States. We moved into a single bedroom studio in Fort Lee, NJ. I've moved around several times, but I've lived within about a 30 mile radius of where I first moved into the US. For the first few years, I struggled to fit in because English was not my first language. But by around second grade I had more or less caught up. My childhood, at least the one I remember, was situated in various places, mostly in the Northeast. I remember my family's trips to Disney World in Florida, Seaworld in California, and the beaches in New Jersey. The diversity where I lived, being so close (<5 minutes) to Manhattan, had a dramatic impact on how I developed as a person. What I am also grateful for is living in a part of the US with a heavy Korean population as I have kept my language and my cultural identity alive.

Currently, I am (will be) a third year undergraduate at the University of Michigan. I declared an Anthropology major in Freshman year and a Biomolecular Sciences major shortly after. I have been  an undergraduate research student at the Walter Lab at U of M since last year. I plan to pursue an MD, Ph.D and ultimately become a practicing physician who also conducts research. I hope to become someone who can have an impact on people through teaching, philanthropy, and volunteerism.

When I'm not studying or in the lab, I like to immerse myself in Korean pop culture. Especially because I don't get the chance to visit as often as I would like, I rely heavily on the Korean entertainment industry to keep me up to date with contemporary thought, new slang, and music.

I also enjoy aquariums. I've kept fish during high school. Now I keep exotic freshwater shrimp. These guys can survive eating the biofilm off of plants so I can leave them and go home during breaks.

Other things I like to do: barbecuing, rafting/kayaking, swimming, karaoke.

I guess the most unusual thing about me might be how Korean I still am. I immigrated from Korea almost 15 years ago, now, but my skills in the Korean language have only grown since I have done so. I have no formal training in Korean, beyond preschool, but I am able to communicate in Korean fluently. Most other peers in similar situations, that I know, almost completely lack the ability to speak/read/write Korean and if they do not, they often carry thick "American" accents when speaking.