Help Storm Study Abroad in Seoul

Hello! My name is Storm Nguyen, currently a junior at Seattle Pacific University majoring in Cultural Studies/Social Justice with a concentration in Art for Social Change and minoring in Apparel Design/Merchandising and Psychology.

I was recently accepted into a Cross-Cultural Psychology study abroad program taking place in South Korea for the Fall of 2022! As a student that is passionate and strives to curate an interdisciplinary education for themselves that analyzes culture (in multiple faucets), I am extremely ecstatic about this opportunity and cannot wait to strengthen relationships, network, and study in such a culturally vibrant city!

I am a Queer First-generation Vietnamese college student. With immigrant parents, I have been taught that knowledge and wisdom are valuable and immeasurable. As such, I have continuously navigated my life and aspirations with the desire to learn and grow. To me, cultural competency and understanding intersectionality is a key factor in how I build my intelligence.

I have been blessed to grow up in a multi-cultural community in South Seattle and this environment has been a highly influential component in coming to terms with my queerness as well as learning how to embrace my cultural heritage. However, once I started my undergraduate career, I felt lost, out of place, and unworthy compared to my other peers. The change in environment was a huge culture shock for me and it hindered me from curating the educational track that best suited me. As time progressed, I learned so much more about who I am as a person and how this translates to my academic journey. I realized that I am a highly creative and intuitive but analytical individual, as such; the best educational combination for me would be one that satisfied my artistic and philosophical desires.

After completing my undergraduate degree, I plan on pursuing a job in Artistic Direction (specifically focusing on the context of Social Issues and Commentary) as a Photographer, Stylist, and Journalist. I strongly believe that there is a lot of power in the way society operates and it has always been in my interest to critically dissect these understandings through the way I know and understand best: creative arts.

Some of the opportunities I have carried thus far have helped me work towards this goal include my work as a Photographer and Writer for Rice and Spice Magazine, a literary arts zine centering on the voices of Asian American youth; my work with the Washington Bus to push youth advocacy and my work as a Bridal Stylist. All of these experiences are vastly different yet, are reflective and applicable to my major and minors.

With the Study-Abroad experience in South Korea, in addition to the mandatory curriculum; I am pursuing a personal research project that analyzes fashion and lifestyle in South Korea; a homogenous society with collectivistic ideals versus Western Countries with increasingly multicultural societies and individualistic ideals. My goal is to photograph and document the parallels between the two in order to explore how culture and clothing are significant in a digitalized modern world.

While I am beyond excited about this trip and what it will teach me; as a low-income student, these kinds of opportunities have not been as financially accessible to me growing up. I am currently working two jobs and seeking several other opportunities to gather funds to help pay for the costs and I am also extremely blessed that my family has offered me some support in helping pay for this journey but unfortunately, we cannot cover all the fees, housing and tuition costs for this trip. Due to this, I would like to ask for some additional help in reaching my goal of studying abroad in Seoul and completing my own personal research. In advance, thank you so much for your generosity, it means so much to me to have your support! Your contributions mean the world to me, and I am so thankful for your kindness in helping achieve my dreams! Everything helps!!