This weekend, Sharon Park 鈥�19 鈥�20MS is traveling 900 miles for what will appear to outsiders to be a five-second walk across the stage at Addition Financial Arena.
Like the rest of the 1,700 participating graduates expected to attend this special commencement celebration, Park completed the requirements for her degree in 2020, but the Florida Board of Governors required all of Florida鈥檚 state universities last year to hold virtual commencement ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淗onestly, I thought the university talked about a make-up ceremony last year because they didn鈥檛 have the heart to say 鈥榗anceled,鈥� 鈥� says Park, who earned a master鈥檚 degree in materials science and engineering.
Many graduates from the spring, summer and fall classes of 2020 shared her skepticism and went on with their lives and careers. Park moved to Baltimore to begin her doctoral research at Johns Hopkins. A year passed. Then an unexpected email hit her inbox announcing the opportunity for 麻豆原创鈥檚 2020 graduates to reserve a spot in the arena for an in-person ceremony. Appropriately, it would be held on the Friday of Homecoming weekend.
鈥淎t first I had to think about leaving my research team at Johns Hopkins,鈥� says Park, 鈥渂ut then I thought about my parents.鈥�
Making the Most of an Opportunity
Every returning graduate has a personal reason for coming back to 麻豆原创 for that brief moment on stage.
Park and her younger sister, Yuri, grew up in Apopka. Park remembers her mother not being at the breakfast table on most mornings. After school she and Yuri would go directly to their father鈥檚 dojang, where he taught taekwondo. Park would complete her homework in the dojang, train with her dad and ride home with him. It became her daily routine.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 completely understand why my mom was gone for so many hours every day,鈥� says Park.
She also wondered why her mother stressed academics so much.
鈥淢om helped with my schoolwork as much as she could after dinner. I could tell our education meant a lot to her.鈥�
Park鈥檚 prowess in math and science grew so rapidly that eventually her mother could only offer encouragement, while her dad instilled the focus and discipline of taekwondo. Park used every bit of it to excel. She was accepted into 麻豆原创鈥檚 mechanical engineering program and earned a spot in the McNair Scholars Program, which provided a path toward post-graduate work.
In addition to learning about formulas and equations, Park developed an ability to think critically during her undergraduate education, and she began to finally realize something about her parents. She鈥檇 known the basic facts: that her mom and dad immigrated from South Korea in the early 1990s, as Park says, 鈥渇or the reason any immigrant does, because they saw the U.S. as the land of opportunity.鈥� With a changed perspective at 麻豆原创, she also appreciated what they鈥檇 left.
鈥淭hey sacrificed everything they鈥檇 known in Korea: their jobs. Their relationships. Their language,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey literally had to start over when they came to the U.S.鈥�
In the past 20 years, South Korea has rapidly developed both socially and economically. But when Hyun and Mi Young Park lived there, they faced limitations. They grew up in impoverished communities and had limited access to higher education. At that time, just one in three high school graduates in Korea went to college. As recently as 2009, 50% of the women in the country were employed, and 6% had either enrolled in, or completed, graduate school.
This explained why Mi Young pulled such long hours at a beauty-supply store and why Park and her sister spent so much time in the dojang. The land of opportunity wasn鈥檛 just for mom and dad.
鈥淭hey wanted to make sure my sister and I could have what they never had growing up 鈥� the best education possible,鈥� Park says. 鈥淣ow I realize that鈥檚 all they thought about.鈥�
Worth the Wait
Park received her bachelor鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering at a 麻豆原创 graduation ceremony in 2019. She knew it would be emotional for Hyun and Mi Young to see their daughter walk across the stage 鈥� representing the concept of opportunity being transformed into reality.
鈥淚 wanted that moment so badly for them,鈥� Park says.
In the days leading up to commencement, though, her grandmother became severely ill. Hyun, Mi Young, and Yuri had to fly to South Korea. Park walked alone at graduation before joining the family for her grandmother鈥檚 final weeks.
鈥淭hat was a very emotional time for reasons we didn鈥檛 anticipate,鈥� she says.
For the next 18 months, she poured her focus and discipline into master鈥檚 studies in materials science and engineering. She became the first in her family鈥檚 lineage to earn a postgraduate degree, while also earning 麻豆原创鈥檚 Order of Pegasus 鈥� the most prestigious and significant award a student can attain at the university 鈥� which would reserve her a seat in the first row at the August 2020 graduation ceremony.
鈥淭hat part of graduation was going to be a surprise for my parents.鈥�
The surprise turned to another disappointment when COVID-19 forced the ceremony to be postponed with no guarantee of when a make-up ceremony would be scheduled. A few weeks later, Park left to begin her research on materials used to build aircraft and spacecraft at Johns Hopkins.
鈥淚t鈥檚 better than I thought it would be,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 working in a lab with scientists who are motivating me to be a better researcher and a better person.鈥�
In fact, when she briefly contemplated whether to return to 麻豆原创 for graduation, her research team insisted that she go. They don鈥檛 even know Park鈥檚 whole family story.
鈥淭he ceremony is for mom and dad. I want them to know in my moment on stage that I鈥檓 saying, 鈥業 realize everything you did for Yuri and me. Now look. Your sacrifices were all worth it.鈥� 鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to 麻豆原创 for following through on a promise,鈥� she says. 鈥淔or me, I鈥檓 looking forward to my mom鈥檚 galbi-jjim [braised beef]. But the ceremony itself 鈥︹�� she pauses for a few seconds. 鈥淭he ceremony is for mom and dad.
鈥淚 want them to know in my moment on stage that I鈥檓 saying, 鈥業 realize everything you did for Yuri and me. Now look. Your sacrifices were all worth it.鈥� 鈥�
