Features

Aiducation – Wonkee Jo (BS ’19)

by MainGate Staff

Spring/Summer 2020

Woonkee Jo (BS ’19) is South Korean, but he grew up in Lebanon. He is a big fan of Bliss Street: “I doubt there are many universities where there is a whole street of restaurants right in front of the main entrance.” He also enjoys the Jafet Library, despite the fact that it is always crowded. “I borrowed books not just related to my major (chemistry), but also books of English and Arabic poetry,” he says. It was at AUB that he met “some of the finest and greatest minds,” including Philosophy Lecturer Saleh Agha and Civilian Sequence Program Lecturer James Broucek, with whom he “spent hours talking about ethics, God, and religion.”

Being a recipient of the Chinyeh Hostler Endowed Scholarship eased the financial burden on his family. It also inspired him to participate in Fingerprints, a scholarship program that graduating students support so they can help incoming students who need financial assistance. “I think it is important to give back so that others have the same—or perhaps even a better—opportunity than I’ve had.”