Min Ji Kang became the first Student Programs Coordinator of FHIS in the summer of 2020. Here she describes the core aspects of her role, along with how she fell in love with Spanish language and culture.
“As a foreign language learner, I can relate to the difficulties and frustrations encountered by students. I have always wanted to help students realize their potential and how empowering it can be to learn new languages and cultures. So, this is my dream job!”
How Spanish expanded the horizons of a high school student in South Korea
As a 16-year-old, I spent at least 15 hours a day studying within the walls of an undiversified South Korean high school setting. Ironically, it was within this environment that my eyes were opened to a whole new and different world; it was by studying Spanish that I grew up knowing, experiencing and falling in love with a different culture. Learning Spanish allows you to get inspired by such a rich cultural, literary and historical heritage of Hispanic countries.
Since then, Spanish has always been a crucial part of my life. After I completed my MA in Spanish Literature at Seoul National University, South Korea, I pursued a PhD in Spanish Medieval and Early Modern Literature in Purdue University, USA. During my graduate training at Purdue, I was able to teach various levels of the undergraduate Spanish curriculum and immediately fell in love with the power of teaching.
As I joined my husband in Canada, I wanted to continue my passion and career in education, which led me to join UBC’s Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies (FHIS) in 2019 as an Honorary Postdoctoral Research Associate. Under the supervision of Dr. Raúl Álvarez Moreno, I worked on a project about the “Rhetoric of Economics and the Picaresque”. As I started my position, I also got involved with the FHIS Learning Centre as a Spanish tutor for undergraduate students. I believe these experiences prepared me to become a more competent Student Programs Coordinator for this department!
I was fascinated by the culture and the sense of community that FHIS provides for the students. By reflecting on my experience as a foreign language learner, I can relate to the difficulties and frustrations encountered by students. I have always wanted to help students realize their potential and how empowering it can be to learn new languages and cultures. So, this is my dream job!
Student Programs Coordinator
“Even via Zoom, I love meeting with students and discussing their pathways and options for their futures.”
I started my new position as the Student Programs Coordinator at FHIS in August 2020—in the middle of the pandemic! In this role, I am responsible of all aspects of undergraduate student support and engagement. More specifically, my role consists of four categories:
- Student Advising: I advise students about program requirements for all FHIS undergraduate programs as well as guide students about placement in language courses.
- Scheduling and Curriculum Changes: I am responsible of course scheduling and curriculum changes by evaluating and assessing enrolments and program capacity.
- Outreach + Engagement: I manage, develop and promote experiential learning opportunities and support student engagement initiatives.
- Learning Centre Coordination: I assist the FHIS Learning Centre Director to develop policies and procedures, and manage the operations of Learning Centre.
In short, if you have any questions about the FHIS undergraduate programs, both for curricular and extracurricular activities, you can come to me!
I love working with students! Even via Zoom, I love meeting with students and discussing their pathways and options for their futures. I am looking forward to having more interactions with students once we safety get back to campus. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you to better understand the FHIS undergraduate programs!
Fun facts
I used to play the keyboard in a high school band in South Korea!
I also like to hike local mountains and go for backcountry camping with my husband.
