Highlights

Jooeun is a recent graduate from the College of Health and Human Development who currently works as a health care worker in Philadelphia. She is very grateful for all the resources that Penn State has in terms of research and professors. She wants students to find their passion even if that means trying out classes different from your intended major. 

Jooeun’s Story

Jooeun Choi graduated from Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development (HHD) with a major in Human Development and Family Studies in the spring of 2020. She is currently a health care service worker in Philadelphia. 

In the beginning, Jooeun thought she wanted to be a chemistry major because she wanted to be a pharmacist one day. She later realized she did not want to limit herself  to other possible academic opportunities that college had to offer. Jooeun chose Penn State because she knew that the University had so many different majors and topics to offer. She would definitely be able to expand her horizon and find her passion at Penn State. Her older brother also went to Penn State so she knew it would be a good fit. 

After enrolling in Penn State, Jooeun was based in chemistry at the time, but still did lots of research on the other classes that Penn State had to offer to see if any interested her. Later she found her passion for Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) after deciding to take HDSF 129 as an elective. She remembers her professor being amazing and the subject being intriguing because she never knew this was even a major that you could specialize in. What set HDSF apart from other majors was that she could see that what she was learning was actually helping people. Jooeun says that it was so cool to see how topics learned in class, such as familial relationships, could really help people in the real world. 

“It really put people in touch with their struggles, and they got something out of the class.” says Jooeun. People coming from any and all backgrounds share this subject and can talk about it. 

Jooeun’s favorite part of HHD was the many resources in terms of knowledge and staff that the college has to offer. She said that people were really educated on the different subjects and you could really pick their brains and have an engaging conversation with them. Jooeun also loves how she was able to meet so many different people from this college, there was so much diversity in every aspect. 

At Penn State, Jooeun was also the president of the only K-Pop club on campus; The K-Pop Music and Dance Club (KPMD). As a Korean student who also loves K-Pop, Jooeun felt that this was a great way to make friends with a common interest and share her Korean heritage with others. She was able to make KPMD a place for students from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds to come together to enjoy K-Pop. She was also a part of the American Sign Language club and was on a THON Committee. 

Some advice that Jooeun has for current, incoming and prospective students is to look into being part of a research group. You can do it for credits or just the experience, but no matter what, it is beneficial to your education and knowledge in the field. It is never too late or early to start looking into research topics and groups that you are interested in. You can even do your own research and work with other departments on topics that interest you. Jooeun also urges students to try different professors. She says, “Don’t always rely too much on Rate My Professor,” get out there and try other professors because you might find one that really changes the way you look at topics in your major. 

Currently, Jooeun is working as a health care/social worker in Philadelphia. She feels lucky because this position just fell right into her lap at the perfect time. She actually had no intention in doing this kind of work, but she is glad to gain new skills and experience in a field that she wasn’t expecting. 

Jooeun loves how Penn State is a school full of pride and great resources that support and guide a student’s education through to graduation. She leaves students with a final word of advice that is “Don’t overwhelm yourself, try to have fun when you can.”