#I_AM_SFS

Photo courtesy: Seoul Foreign School

515 students roam the building at the SFHS, bustling between blocks and breaks. The majority of us stick to our “designated” friends and walk past fellow students, knowing little about each other—rarely do we connect with new people during these moments. However, it is bizarre to treat each other like strangers; after all, we are all under the moniker of the SFS community. 

I AM SFS consists of stories that make up our community. Simi Lee, the STUCO VP of Activities, shares that in a TED-talk style speech, students or faculty share a valuable story that allows the audience to “humanize members of our community who we otherwise would overlook.” I AM SFS used to be a platform on which people could “reintroduce [themselves] and change people’s perspectives of who they are.” This purpose is further exemplified by how the logo of I AM SFS is made up of LEGO blocks, which is “Mr. Paul Kim’s lovely analogy that the stories of SFS are what make up our community as a whole.” When it began, I AM SFS proved immediately to build and bolster our community.

The first I AM SFS session, before COVID, our beloved Mrs. Soora Koh was the first to tell her story, “cementing her within the student body as more than just the ‘attendance lady.’ Her speech unveiled her personality; it showed her life. And I think that’s something really special,” Simi reflects. Today, Mrs. Koh’s presence brightens up the school, her impact shining through her actions, ranging from a simple smile and thumbs up when taking attendance to having hours-long conversations with pensive students. 

“We are a very interesting group of people, but we’re always orbiting each other without ever colliding,” Simi regretfully acknowledges. “I would hate to leave this school at the end of my five years knowing nothing about those I have not interacted with. I think [I AM SFS] might be the only way for some people to ever hear others speak.” 

Now that the pandemic has passed, I AM SFS is back—and we began with Mrs. Black’s beautiful story of her divine calling to teaching. With that, our VP of Activities leaves us with this, “If you have a story you’d like to share, whether it be how you got here, your interests and hobbies, or a life-altering moment, I highly encourage you to sign up, not only because we want the student body to be involved, but also because we genuinely would like to foster a more understanding, inclusive community.”