My journey into the world of education was not shaped by the traditional methods that were used around me. Growing up in Korea, attending “hakwon,” a private after-school cram school that would keep students occupied until close to 10 p.m. However, my parents believed in a different approach. They encouraged me to learn through self-direction, exploration, and spontaneous discovery, fostering an environment where curiosity thrived. From lessons on how to spot the freshest cucumber to the legacy of Korean pop in the 1960s, I gained knowledge through everyday conversations rather than lectures in “hakwon.” I also loved the playground; it was another classroom for me where the essence of play fostered creativity and problem-solving skills. As Piaget suggests, “Play is the answer to how anything new comes about.” Growing up in this environment, I often found myself frustrated with the limitations of learning within the classrooms. This inspired me to envision a different kind of learning environment where structured academic learning is updated and integrated with experiential knowledge with the hope of making education more efficient and enjoyable for everyone.  

As I further dove into the field of education, I quickly realized that education is such a multidisciplinary field that gets impacted by many different factors. Through this capstone project, I’ve identified how education fosters cognitive and social development, factors that hinder one’s education, educational pedagogies and future educational innovations that create more equitable and higher quality education, and some suggestions for Choate.