Following our Grads: John Lee

Thanks for coming to see us, John!

1. Why was a small high school good for you?
Everyone knew me and I knew everyone. That's a given in a small school. I was an introvert who preferred staying in anonymity, and I was not fluent in English. But I still had to say hello to everyone I saw, because they would say hello to you. While it indeed posed a challenge to me, both teachers and fellow students helped me and took care of me. This new environment allowed me to develop social skills that are still invaluable today.

2. How did a small high school prepare you for your future?
In a small school, the teachers can pay extra attention to and provide tailored education for each student. And it can go farther than what you would normally expect. I was one of the first students who took classes at Lakeland University Japan. The teachers and the staff at TIPS set up the entire process from scratch for us who wanted advanced college-level courses. The experiences at LUJ gave me a sense of what to expect in a college, and I became confident that I could do well after graduation.

3. What did you do after high school?
After high school, I went to The George Washington University in the USA and graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. Then I went to graduate school at the same university and earned a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience after 6 years. Now I am a postdoctorate researcher in Brain Science back in my home country South Korea, hoping to develop a sensor that mimics our five basic senses.