Hello! My name is Esther, and I am an upcoming medical student. I will graduate with high honors from the University of Georgia, earning a degree in Public Relations with certificates in New Media and Personal & Organizational Leadership.
I currently serve as the Advisory Board Chair for The Backpack Project of Athens (TBP/ATH), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to easing the burden of homelessness in Athens, Georgia. I previously served as the Executive Director of TBP/ATH for two years and as the Vice President, Director of Volunteers, and Intern before that. I have served on committees in the Athens Homeless Coalition, a coalition of organizations that work to prevent and end homelessness and poverty in Northeast Georgia. As a student studying to be a certified clinical medical assistant, I interned at Athens Nurses Clinic as the lead medical assistant and volunteered at Mercy Health Center. These two clinics serve uninsured low-and-no income patients in Athens.
I worked as a Program Assistant for UGA’s New Media Institute, one of the largest interdisciplinary certificate and graduate programs of 500+ students, and as the Curator for TEDxUGA, an independently organized TED event with talks that have been viewed more than 6.1 million times. I was also a Grady Ambassador for the UGA College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
As a bilingual individual fluent in both Korean and English, I serve in the role of a live interpreter at The Church in Christ, effectively bridging the communication gap between Korean-speaking and English-speaking audiences during services and special events. Additionally, I actively contribute to the church by leading worship every Sunday.
Throughout my time at UGA, I have served as the Public Relations Chair for MEDLIFE at UGA, a local chapter of an international nonprofit organization seeking to provide Medicine, Education, and Development for Low-Income Families Everywhere. I was also a research assistant at Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University where I worked with Dr. Pamela Allen and Dr. Mary Jo Lechowicz assessing mortality and risk factors of bacteremia in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).
I studied abroad in Havana, Cuba with a concentration in health and medical journalism where I learned about Cuba’s public healthcare system and how local and international journalists communicate medical stories to lay audiences. I also studied at the University of Oxford where I studied biomedical ethics and history & literature of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible.
Outside my professional pursuits, I enjoy recreational swimming, skydiving, and live music.
Learn more about my journey here and involvement in my resume.
Last Updated: May 2024