Interviewee: Joonkyu Baik
Interviewer: Tyler Garvey
Interview Summary
This interview is with Joonkyu (J.K.) Baik, a 19-year-old Korean man born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. J.K. grew up with two older brothers and his parents in a suburb about thirty minutes outside of downtown Seoul. J.K. came to the United States for his sophomore year of high school and attended Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. He is now attending Colby College in Waterville, Maine. J.K. was incredibly nervous in the months leading up to his transition to schooling in the U.S, but he found the environment and community at Governor’s to be very friendly and inviting. This interview covers topics such as the Korean school system, the transition from Korean schooling to US schooling, and what a Korean childhood is like. I attended the same high school as J.K, which is where we met, and he coincidentally also came to study at Colby. The interview was conducted in person on the campus of Colby College on October 26th, 2023. The interview was conducted by myself, Tyler Garvey, a sophomore computer science major at Colby College. I enjoyed comparing and contrasting my experience growing up, and how it differs from those at Colby who grew up in different countries around the world.
Biography
Joonkyu (J.K) Baik is the subject of my interview. He is currently a freshman attending Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He came to the United States when he was 16 to study at Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. He grew up in Seoul with his parents and two older brothers, one of whom is now attending Emory University, while the other just finished serving in the South Korean military. J.K. was born in Korea but frequently traveled to the United States during his upbringing, and decided to study abroad for high school due to personal interests and to follow in the path of his older brother who attended Governor’s and his cousins who studied in the U.S. J.K. returns to Korea multiple times throughout the year, and enjoys seeing his family, old friends, and going to church with his extended family. He is set to graduate in May of 2027.