From UAlbany to South Korea: Kate Bucek ’24’s Journey
JEJU CITY, South Korea (May 1, 2026) — Hello, my name is Kate Bucek, and I graduated from UAlbany in 2024. I majored in East Asian Studies and minored in Korean studies and creative writing. While it has only been about two years since I graduated, a lot has happened.
I started my master’s at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom as a member of Girton College in October 2024 and graduated with an MPhil in Korean studies in October 2026.
Now I'm in South Korea teaching English at an all-girls high school as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. It is a lot to explain, but hopefully these pictures will help you see the full story.
I kept myself very busy when I was at UAlbany. I was head coach of our mock trial team, an active member of the Honors College, a community assistant for the East Asian Studies living-learning community, a student tutor and a student assistant at the central business office. I was very shy as a freshman, but I slowly grew the confidence to lead in so many capacities.
As part of the Honors College, I wrote a thesis about the translation of Korean sijo poetry. An earlier version of the paper was published in the Emory Journal of Asian Studies, and the final version received a Presidential Award for Undergraduate Research. I also received the Humanities People’s Choice Award for a presentation on this research at the first Showcase Day.
I graduated from Albany with a piece of paper and a lot of regalia to show for it. I had applied for a few jobs, a few master’s programs, and a Fulbright grant, but hadn’t heard back from many of them at that point. I also wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go in after graduating.
In the end, I became an alternate candidate for a Fulbright grant and was deciding between George Washington University and the University of Cambridge for my next step. Cambridge offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I took the plunge and moved to the United Kingdom for the year-long master’s program.
Cambridge was different than anything I had ever experienced before. They had different schedules, different words for everything and a college system, like Harry Potter houses, that was very difficult for me to adjust to. But while some things seemed strange, they were just as beautiful to experience. It did not take long for me to get used to the regular three-course formal dinners.
While there were a lot of big changes, I wanted to find normality where I could. I became the MPhil student representative for my department and participated in monthly faculty meetings. It helped me get closer to the other graduate students, and we ended up hosting a research conference together. This picture was taken after the conference went better than we ever could have imagined.
While a year seems like a short amount of time to finish a master’s, I did it. I will admit, it was a lot of research and a lot of work, and I don’t want to begin to count the hours I spent on my dissertation on Buddhism during the Park Chung-hee era. But I would do it again. I met so many wonderful people there and had so many experiences that changed my outlook on life.
I reapplied for the Fulbright grant before I started my master’s program and was accepted as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in South Korea. I arrived in South Korea in January 2026 and started the six-week orientation process in Goesan, Chungcheongbuk-do. This is my first time in South Korea, even though I have been studying Korean for seven years.
The most common question I got before coming to South Korea was, “Where will you be living?” and I didn't know. We didnt find out where we would be teaching and living until February, at our placement ceremony. The suspense was intense, but I was placed at the perfect school for me, on Jeju Island. I wanted to come to Jeju to learn the Jeju dialect of Korean that isn’t even intelligible to many native speakers, and this was the perfect opportunity.
During orientation, we had four weeks of intense Korean language training, for four hours, five days a week. I have been learning Korean for seven years and am at an advanced level, but I found it very helpful and fun to speak in Korean all the time and the most helpful thing for me was having a conversation partner. I love speaking in Korean. This picture is from when I graduated from the language training course and received a leadership award.
At the end of February, we all left orientation and went to our individual placements. This picture was taken on my first day when they gave me my desk label. The students aren’t allowed to know that I speak Korean, since I am their native English teacher, so they all call me “Kate Teacher” and only speak to me in English.
The students are so kind. They always welcome me in the hallways and sometimes give me small gifts, all of which I appreciate very much. Students are expected to bow to teachers in the hallway, but they are slowly getting used to waving at me when they see me. The teachers also treat me kindly and keep me involved with what is happening in the teachers’ office, especially snack time. I speak with the teachers fully in Korean when the students aren’t around, and I really enjoy their company and advice.
Jeju is my new home for the next one to three years, and it is better than I ever could have imagined. I can see the ocean from my school and am breathing very fresh air. This is my first experience living by the ocean, let alone on an island, and I have no regrets.
I never could have imagined I would do any of these things when I was a freshman in college. I am not the same person I was back then. But I grew a lot during my time at UAlbany, and the skyscrapers ahead of me became the next step on the path of my life. That’s a poetic way to say that you can get private school levels of learning and growth at SUNY prices. While I don’t believe that any money invested in yourself is a waste, who doesn’t like a good coupon? Speak to your professors often and ask for their opinions. They are there to help you.
Experience as much as you can while you have the chance; there are few places with so many accessible opportunities to grow. Respect yourself and your time. Don’t view your work as nothing, and understand that getting rest is also an important part of respecting time. Don’t expect anyone’s path to be your roadmap, and allow things to take time. Good luck with everything, and I hope to hear great things from you soon.
The University at Albany is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed are entirely those of Kate Bucek and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.
(Photos provided by Kate Bucek '24)