Hajoon “HJ” Yun is one of the few students who went from apprentice to mentor at Centennial High School through the Independent Study & Mentorship program (ISM).
Once in the apprentice shoes of an ISM 1 student, Yun has now stepped into the shoes of a mentor in ISM 2 for the current ISM 1 students.
Applying in the spring semester of his sophomore year, Yun was accepted into ISM for the following year. Throughout ISM, students conduct interviews, pursue mentorship within their chosen field of interest, and focus on their two-semester projects: Original Work and Final Project. For both, students write various articles focusing on their research, mentor work, and original projects.
One of the biggest differences between ISM 1 and ISM 2 students is their responsibilities within the district’s and the school’s program. One example of these increased responsibilities is at the Professional Symposium, an event where ISM 1 students learn and apply their skills. Yun was in charge of conducting mock interviews for the ISM 1 students, running around 14 interviews over the course of the day.
Yun explains one big difference between Yun and an ISM 2.
“ISM 2 is more like applying the things that you learned in ISM 1, whereas ISM 1 is kind of like the foundation that builds your foundation for the rest of your life.”
Soft skills, such as having a strong handshake, writing an email, or being able to present without filler words,such as “like” or “um, is part of the core work that ISM 1 students cover.
Yun decided to continue with the program into his senior year, making him one of 4 ISM 2 students at CHS. He got to skip over these introductory aspects, go straight into his project this year, and focus on helping others.
“It’s very cool to be on the other side of ISM, where now I know what’s going on instead of last year, where I kind of had to learn throughout the way and process,” Yun shared.
For incoming ISM students, Yun advises students to enter ISM with a growth mindset to be better prepared for the future.
Anyone who has questions about ISM can contact Yun at [email protected].
