TCNJ Senior and Old Tappan Resident U-Jin Lee Gears Up for Exciting Future

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EWING, NJ (05/07/2013)(readMedia)-- On college campuses nationwide, the month of May is dedicated to seniors celebrating the end of their academic careers, saying goodbye to textbooks and homework assignments, and shaking the hands of their future bosses. U-Jin Lee is among those celebrating--but for a very different reason. Lee recently competed against many exceptionally talented and bright students nationwide to land a coveted spot in a top Ivy League graduate programs in in her field.

An honors student and a Communication Studies major with a concentration in Radio/TV/Film and a minor in Journalism, Lee was admitted her to Columbia University for a Master of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism this spring. Acceptance to graduate programs for the Radio/TV/Film students is equally rare, and Lee worked tirelessly throughout college to ensure her spot.

Lee's mother emigrated to the United States from South Korea when Lee was five, leaving her husband behind, to ensure that her children could take advantage of the creativity encouraged by the United States system of education. Lee immediately began to pursue music, playing the piano and flute, and advancing to violin when she was nine. In middle school, Lee was accepted, through rigorous audition, to the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School and continued her musical studies there for eight years.

Lee always wanted to major in music. As a musician, she craved being able to communicate through sound and performance and understood the impact that various forms of communication could have on those listening. When arriving at TCNJ, she joined the Orchestra, but was encouraged to begin to explore the communication side of performance as well. Surprisingly, she found that communication was where she belonged, and decided to pursue the Radio/TV/Film track.

Through internships and coursework, Lee honed in on her true passion. She spent the summer of 2011 in South Korea working for Educational Broadcasting System, the only educational television and radio network covering South Korean territory, and the only South Korean radio and television network without a separate regional service. She was responsible for planning a large scale documentary film festival, as well as other smaller scale productions. She knew she loved the television side to the industry, but production planning was not for her. In the summer of2012, Lee interned at Fox Channel 9 News in Secaucus, NJ. There, when assisting anchors and shadowing reporters, she decided her ultimate goal was to become a foreign correspondent.

"I speak English, Spanish, and Korean," she laughed. "I hope that helps!"

Lee is seen as a role model in her track, working closely with faculty and encouraging and supporting her peers.

"I think it's all about having a passion," Lee mused, when asked about her career. "Find something you love, ask questions, be inquisitive, learn all you can, work hard. That's certainly something I learned during my time here at TCNJ."