Early in the second semester of 2019, the Diversity Council chose 20 students to form its second-ever group of interns, and on December 19th (Thurs.), it held a ceremony celebrating their completion of the program. Offered each semester, the “Diversity Pioneers” internship recognizes the importance of student activities in building a culture of consideration and respect on campus and, with its theme of “Breaking Down Walls Between Students”, aims to promote harmony among students. The participants in this semester’s group included three graduate students and three international students.

Over the 13-week internship, the interns spent roughly half of their 40 hours in a single group, receiving diversity education and participating in seminars related to diversity on campus, and the other half divided into teams, planning and carrying out autonomous projects. While last semester’s program had a planning team that oversaw and assisted with the other teams’ projects, this semester featured a specially-recruited public relations team instead. As a whole group, the interns held an event on November 7th in front of Jahayeon to promote the internship program to the campus community, whereas the three project teams organized the “SNU Escape” and “Fall, Vegan, and Picnic” events and the “Asking ‘Diversity’” series of interviews.

With Diversity Council chair Ki-Sun Hong as its host, the completion ceremony featured short presentations by the interns on their impressions of their three months of activities, as well as suggestions for improving the program and their hopes for the university’s future. The cordial event ended with the awarding of completion certificates.