This weekend, Sharon Park 麻豆精品 S�19 麻豆精品 S�20MS is traveling 900 miles for what will appear to outsiders to be a five-second walk across the stage at Addition Financial Arena.
Like the rest of the 1,700 participating graduates expected to attend this special commencement celebration, Park completed the requirements for her degree in 2020, but the Florida Board of Governors required all of Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 state universities last year to hold virtual commencement ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
麻豆精品 S淗onestly, I thought the university talked about a make-up ceremony last year because they didn 麻豆精品 S檛 have the heart to say 麻豆精品 S榗anceled, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� says Park, who earned a master 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in materials science and engineering.
Many graduates from the spring, summer and fall classes of 2020 shared her skepticism and went on with their lives and careers. Park moved to Baltimore to begin her doctoral research at Johns Hopkins. A year passed. Then an unexpected email hit her inbox announcing the opportunity for UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 2020 graduates to reserve a spot in the arena for an in-person ceremony. Appropriately, it would be held on the Friday of Homecoming weekend.
麻豆精品 S淎t first I had to think about leaving my research team at Johns Hopkins, 麻豆精品 S� says Park, 麻豆精品 S渂ut then I thought about my parents. 麻豆精品 S�
Making the Most of an Opportunity
Every returning graduate has a personal reason for coming back to UCF for that brief moment on stage.
Park and her younger sister, Yuri, grew up in Apopka. Park remembers her mother not being at the breakfast table on most mornings. After school she and Yuri would go directly to their father 麻豆精品 S檚 dojang, where he taught taekwondo. Park would complete her homework in the dojang, train with her dad and ride home with him. It became her daily routine.
麻豆精品 S淚 didn 麻豆精品 S檛 completely understand why my mom was gone for so many hours every day, 麻豆精品 S� says Park.
She also wondered why her mother stressed academics so much.
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Park 麻豆精品 S檚 prowess in math and science grew so rapidly that eventually her mother could only offer encouragement, while her dad instilled the focus and discipline of taekwondo. Park used every bit of it to excel. She was accepted into UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 mechanical engineering program and earned a spot in the McNair Scholars Program, which provided a path toward post-graduate work.
In addition to learning about formulas and equations, Park developed an ability to think critically during her undergraduate education, and she began to finally realize something about her parents. She 麻豆精品 S檇 known the basic facts: that her mom and dad immigrated from South Korea in the early 1990s, as Park says, 麻豆精品 S渇or the reason any immigrant does, because they saw the U.S. as the land of opportunity. 麻豆精品 S� With a changed perspective at UCF, she also appreciated what they 麻豆精品 S檇 left.
麻豆精品 S淭hey sacrificed everything they 麻豆精品 S檇 known in Korea: their jobs. Their relationships. Their language, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淭hey literally had to start over when they came to the U.S. 麻豆精品 S�
In the past 20 years, South Korea has rapidly developed both socially and economically. But when Hyun and Mi Young Park lived there, they faced limitations. They grew up in impoverished communities and had limited access to higher education. At that time, just one in three high school graduates in Korea went to college. As recently as 2009, 50% of the women in the country were employed, and 6% had either enrolled in, or completed, graduate school.
This explained why Mi Young pulled such long hours at a beauty-supply store and why Park and her sister spent so much time in the dojang. The land of opportunity wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 just for mom and dad.
麻豆精品 S淭hey wanted to make sure my sister and I could have what they never had growing up 麻豆精品 S� the best education possible, 麻豆精品 S� Park says. 麻豆精品 S淣ow I realize that 麻豆精品 S檚 all they thought about. 麻豆精品 S�
Worth the Wait
Park received her bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in mechanical engineering at a UCF graduation ceremony in 2019. She knew it would be emotional for Hyun and Mi Young to see their daughter walk across the stage 麻豆精品 S� representing the concept of opportunity being transformed into reality.
麻豆精品 S淚 wanted that moment so badly for them, 麻豆精品 S� Park says.
In the days leading up to commencement, though, her grandmother became severely ill. Hyun, Mi Young, and Yuri had to fly to South Korea. Park walked alone at graduation before joining the family for her grandmother 麻豆精品 S檚 final weeks.
麻豆精品 S淭hat was a very emotional time for reasons we didn 麻豆精品 S檛 anticipate, 麻豆精品 S� she says.
For the next 18 months, she poured her focus and discipline into master 麻豆精品 S檚 studies in materials science and engineering. She became the first in her family 麻豆精品 S檚 lineage to earn a postgraduate degree, while also earning UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Order of Pegasus 麻豆精品 S� the most prestigious and significant award a student can attain at the university 麻豆精品 S� which would reserve her a seat in the first row at the August 2020 graduation ceremony.
麻豆精品 S淭hat part of graduation was going to be a surprise for my parents. 麻豆精品 S�
The surprise turned to another disappointment when COVID-19 forced the ceremony to be postponed with no guarantee of when a make-up ceremony would be scheduled. A few weeks later, Park left to begin her research on materials used to build aircraft and spacecraft at Johns Hopkins.
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In fact, when she briefly contemplated whether to return to UCF for graduation, her research team insisted that she go. They don 麻豆精品 S檛 even know Park 麻豆精品 S檚 whole family story.
麻豆精品 S淭he ceremony is for mom and dad. I want them to know in my moment on stage that I 麻豆精品 S檓 saying, 麻豆精品 S業 realize everything you did for Yuri and me. Now look. Your sacrifices were all worth it. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 grateful to UCF for following through on a promise, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淔or me, I 麻豆精品 S檓 looking forward to my mom 麻豆精品 S檚 galbi-jjim [braised beef]. But the ceremony itself 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� she pauses for a few seconds. 麻豆精品 S淭he ceremony is for mom and dad.
麻豆精品 S淚 want them to know in my moment on stage that I 麻豆精品 S檓 saying, 麻豆精品 S業 realize everything you did for Yuri and me. Now look. Your sacrifices were all worth it. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S�
