By: Zhang Yilong 
Junior Editor, Yonsei GSIS Newsletter 

Eleonora Fasan, a GSIS alumna, currently serves as a Forests & Land Use Program Officer at an international NGO. Her journey from exchange studies at Sungkyunkwan University to her graduate program at Yonsei University has shaped her sustainability and climate change career.

-Can you briefly introduce yourself and your academic background?

-My name is Eleonora. I come from Italy. Before I came to South Korea, my bachelor's was actually Asian studies with a focus on Korea. Since I was Asian studies focused on Korea, my major was Korean, but in general, my university had a whole Asian curriculum. After that, I didn't really know what to do in Italy. I also wanted to focus more on international relations and development.

I also did an exchange in Korea (during my Bachelor’s) at Sungkyunkwan University. At the same time, I had friends who did their exchanges here at Yonsei. So, I decided to apply and look around Korea for an international development or international relations program. GSIS was the one that came up. I applied and got the spot here. My studies started here in 2019. My major was PIC, but I tried to focus on sustainability.

-Could you tell us something about your study in Yonsei and how your major in GSIS helps you prepare for your job?

-I wanted to work in sustainability, climate change, and environmental issues. And that's actually what I was able to get as a job. When I did my job interview, the interviewer knew my thesis topic and showed great interest. So, right now, I'm working for an NGO that is based here in Korea. It's called Solutions for Climate (SFOC). We mainly look at climate change issues and how to shift from fossil fuels to renewables to create a better, more sustainable world.

My studies definitely helped my NGO program. When I studied here, I had many different classes about international relations, and I chose more courses that focused on sustainability. Also, there was a professor focused on this area, but she has left now. However, at that time, I chose her courses and got a lot of benefits from them.

- Can you tell me about your current job and any achievements you are proud of? 

-Technically, it is a 9-to-6 job, but I’m very lucky that I can work from home whenever I want, and it’s very flexible. We have a lot of international partners to network with, and there is research and writing. SFOC targets Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Hyundai Fire & Marine Insurance. That was part of the global insurance campaign and shows you the great contours that SFOC is doing. The most important part for me is keeping my manager and those fundraisers. 

I am very proud to say that we have 1 million views on Instagram. That is a huge number, which means we are doing well.

-Do you have any suggestions for GSIS students preparing for a job?

-To prepare for a job, you need to research the company you are applying for. When you do your interview, you can describe what the company is doing to your interviewer. And, of course, look on LinkedIn to get information about your interviewer before you interview if you can. When you ask some questions to them, you should be more specific about the job or the company culture rather than directly go with your salary and vocation.

Also, when doing a job, you need to keep your health; that is the most important thing, and do not get overburdened. Overworking is not a good thing in the long run.

- Do you have any suggestions for GSIS students when they study in Yonsei?

-Yeah, sure! I’m very introverted, but I once worked in GAS here, which helped me meet some people and adapt to the environment. If Korean people ask me about the MBTI, it should be INFP. Actually, because of COVID-19, I have had real college life since the third semester. I mean, totally offline classes.

And I also did my paper in the fifth semester. I recommend writing the thesis if you can. I also published two articles when I studied at Yonsei, and I put them on my CV sometimes; it would be helpful if you could do the same. Do not be afraid to have your fifth semester, if you want to graduate by the thesis way, that often happens. The tuition is not that much, and it's necessary if you want to find a job that needs your competence in research or keep studying to get your PhD.