CALSIAN, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' public relations organization, promotes the college to schools across the country every vacation. We interviewed the freshman of the Department of Plant Science who participated in the 2023 CALSIAN Summer Metropolitan Area Promotion Activity to find out their experiences.

Q . Please introduce yourself!

A. Hello, I am freshman of the 23rd semester of the Department of Plant Science.

Q. Please tell us about CALSIAN!

A. CALSIAN is an official public relations organization of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences that combines the words "CALS" and "ian" ('i' for informer, 'a' for assistant, and 'n' for navigator) to serve as an informer, assistant, and navigator for CALS.
As an informant, we are the link between alumni and current students, providing information to help current students fully understand their majors. As an assistant, we introduce middle and high school students to the majors of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to help them explore their careers. Finally, as a guide, we introduce people to the expanded research fields of modern agriculture and the proper knowledge of agriculture to guide them into the world of global agriculture.

Q. What kind of activities did CALSIAN conduct in the summer?

A. 'Visiting CALSIAN Metropolitan Area Public Relations' is a summer public relations activity conducted by CALSIAN. Every year, we visit high schools in the Seoul metropolitan area to introduce the faculties and majors of CALS, inform students about the research fields of each major, and help them resolve their concerns about their career and studies through free Q&A. Through this program, we also introduce the importance of the CALS and the value of agriculture.

Q. What was your role in outreach this summer?
A. In the Traveling CALSIAN Summer Metropolitan Area Promotion Project, all members of the group were divided into teams in four regions, Seongbuk, Incheon, Seongnam, and Anyang, to visit high schools. I was in the Seongnam team, and we visited Bundang High School, Bundang Daejin High School, Yatap High School, Taewon High School, Bundang Jungang High School, Yeongdeok Women's High School, Seongil High School, and Hansol High School in three days. We did not divide roles among the members, but we all presented together and participated in activities. We gave a presentation about the CALS, and as mentor, we had a communication time to answer questions from the high school students. I explained the majors, admission process, and student support programs of the entire CALS.

Q. What were the most enjoyable aspects and challenging aspects of your outreach activities?

A. The best part was being able to reach out to students. When I was in high school, I was actually introduced to modern agriculture through CALSIAN. That's when I also realized that agriculture is an interdisciplinary field, so it's great to help high school students break free of the preconceived notions about agriculture that I had in the past.
It was physically challenging due to the tight schedule of going to multiple schools in one day, but I was able to get through it by relying on my teammates.

Q. What was the most memorable thing that happened during your outreach?

A. I was most impressed by the questions I received from the high school students. They ranged from fun questions like "Can I get a relationship in college?" to questions about whether college has broadened my view of the world, and what CALSIAN's career paths are. In particular, hearing and answering questions about what CALSIAN's future dreams are made me think about the big dreams I had. Answering questions from high school students made me reflect on my life and goals.

Q. Anything else you'd like to say?

A. In the future, we will be posting various reels on the CASIAN Instagram(@snu_calsian), which is something new, so please visit us!