The Diversity Council offered student internships for the first time in the spring semester of 2019. A completion ceremony was held in the evening of June 21 with students who successfully completed the internship. Student internships were created based on recognizing the need for students to participate in spreading the culture of respect on campus. Under the theme of “Breaking down the Walls between SNU Students,” student interns worked together to create a culture of unity on campus. Internship announcement was made in early March and 19 students were selected after the first and second rounds of screening. Two of the 19 students were graduate students and seven were international students.

Interns were required to complete 40 hours of internship over 14 weeks. Approximately 14 hours were spent on communal activities such as diversity education and participation in on-campus diversity seminars, and more than 26 hours were spent on planning and implementing team-based projects to promote diversity.

Seven teams were organized after continuous discussion among students. Each team prepared its own project proposal and budget and ran its project according to its schedule. Besides, three of the interns formed a planning group in order to coordinate activities among the seven teams and facilitate conversation with the Diversity Council. 

Interns creatively expressed students’ diversity and multi-culture through “Diversity Tea Table Together” and “Diversity Nation,” and they heard the voices of students from diverse backgrounds who told about their experiences at SNU through “Diversity Picnic,” “Diversity Workshop (Breath),” and “Deep Interview.” Meanwhile, under the theme of “Breaking down the Walls between Colleges,” “SNUGO” made quizzes about 15 colleges into QR codes, attached them all over campus, and had people solve the problems. Lastly, “Small but Confident Action” set up a booth during the Spring Festival under the theme of “Sign Language and Braille,” and donated proceeds from the sale of braille badges and diversity stickers to Korea Blind Union and Korea Association of the Deaf.

The completion ceremony lasted for three hours. After having dinner, students took turns and shared about their three-month internship experiences. Students also gave suggestions for the next internship program. They also discusse d the challenges students experience during college and the urgent changes that must be made. Certificates and awards were given at the end of the ceremony.

SNU NOW #141, 2019.06.26.