The Korean military dispatched Jin, as his friends call him, to the United States and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in July 2015 with his 2-year-old son Jihoo and wife Mia. Captain Jin Park has been in the South Korean military for 14 years. He received an undergraduate degree at the Korean Military Academy (similar to West Point here in the U.S.) in environmental science. As part of his military career he’s pursuing his master’s degree in industrial engineering.

Jin learned about the RWC during the International Affairs and Global Strategies (IAGS) student orientation. He attended the RWC fall 2015 job fair after talking to a lifeguard after working out one day at the lap pool. He says working at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has improved his overall campus experience, “I wanted to work here (Recreation and Wellness Center Aquatics) as a lifeguard to make friends and have experiences as a university man. I feel a kind of freedom here because I have never been to a university before.”

Jin says the move to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ hasn’t been without its challenges. For example, the language barrier. Jin has studied English his entire life, but really focused on learning the language six months before moving here. He says limited exposure to English made the RWC lifeguard certification class difficult, but he studied hard to pass. He’s thrilled he got the job after trying out, “I’m so happy here because I’m doing what I want to do, as a University man, as a military man, I love studying. I love working as a lifeguard. I love to make new friends. I’m very happy here.â€�

Jin calls his job his favorite part of being a Knight. Though he’s been a military man for years he loves being a student here, “Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is a growing university. It is one of the biggest universities because of the students (enrollment). So there is a bunch of opportunity to experience everything, so I can experience many sports clubs, study clubs, martial arts (clubs). Everything! I don’t have a lot of time, but there are great chances to experience so much. I love this.â€�

This new, combined role was a result of how closely these two areas have worked together after the reorganization of Academic Affairs last year. Responsible for not only leading strategic initiatives for recruitment, development and retention of faculty who will raise Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s global profile, Young also is charged with building partnerships across campus and the world that will strengthen the internationalization of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s campus, curricula and research.

Dual roles are not new to Young. Throughout her academic career, she has held multiple concurrent appointments with the utmost success. Young has been serving as the Interim Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence and International Affairs and Global Strategies since late March 2015. Prior to that, she has served as an associate dean in the College of Sciences, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative and as the co-director of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s EXCEL program.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; two master’s degrees – one in mathematical science and another in electrical engineering – from the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and the University of Washington, respectively; and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the University of Washington. She joined Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 1997 as a tenure-track assistant professor of mathematics.

Young has received national and international recognition, including the Office of Naval Research’s Young Investigator Award and being elected as a Fellow of the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE).  She also is the recipient of many Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ awards recognizing excellence in discovery, learning, and engagement, including the university’s highest academic honor, Pegasus Professor.