Hello, my name is Esther! I am an undergraduate honors student at the University of Georgia majoring in public relations on the pre-medical track. I am also pursuing certificates in New Media and Personal & Organizational Leadership.
Currently, I serve as the Executive Director for The Backpack Project of Athens, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to easing the burden of homelessness in Athens, Georgia. I have served on committees on 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 am also interning at Athens Nurses Clinic and volunteering at Mercy Health Center. These two clinics serve uninsured low-and-no income patients in Athens.
I work 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 million times. I am 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.
In the past, 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. I am the vice president of Sky Dawgs (UGA’s skydiving club) and play the keyboard for Solid by Saturday (a local band in Athens).
Learn more about my journey here and involvement in my resume: