Alyssa Taylor

Alyssa Taylor participated in the 2024 CLS Korean Program hosted by Pusan National University in Busan, South Korea. She is currently a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in South Korea. Alyssa's professional goal is to become a Public Diplomacy Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. 

Why Korean? 

I began studying Korean because I liked K-pop and wanted to understand the lyrics my favorite groups were singing and understand my favorite idols when they were talking without having to rely on subtitles. I am studying Korean because I want to deepen the connections and cultural understanding, I've formed studying Korean and living in South Korea. I hope to one day be able to speak Korean confidently and hold conversations with people on a variety of topics.  

A Favorite Idiom  

My favorite idiom in Korean is, "호랑이 제 말 하면 온다" which translates into English as "speak of the devil." 

Career Goals 

My educational goal is to achieve a test of proficiency in Korean score of 4 and my professional goal is to get accepted into the Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship or Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. I plan to use Korean as a tool to understand news and articles on a deeper level and more effectively communicate with Korean people.  

Korean is considered one of the U.S. Department of State’s critical languages and speaking Korean at an advanced level will help me pursue a career in the foreign service. I hope to ultimately use my language skills to advance cross-cultural exchange programs and strengthen ties between the U.S. and South Korea.   

CLS’s Impact 

CLS impacted my career trajectory by reaffirming my commitment to learning Korean and improving my language skills so I can communicate authentically. The experience also deepened my interest in the Korean language, as it emphasized that one cannot truly understand a culture without understanding one’s language.