Finding Greatness: Eunice Chon

Author: News Bureau
Posted: Thursday, March 11, 2021 12:00 AM
Categories: Students | Faculty/Staff | Finding Greatness | Honors/Awards | Pressroom

Macon, GA

Dual-enrolled student Eunice Chon is valedictorian of her high school and finishing up an associate’s degree from MGA. She is active in numerous civic and student organizations and plans to go to law school after completing her bachelor’s degree.

Full Name: Eunice Chon.

Age: 18.

Hometown and Residence: Macon.

High School: Howard High School, where she is valedictorian of the Class of 2021; student body president; president and secretary-general for the Model United Nations; editor-in-chief of The Husky Howler; international director of blog and newsletter management for Femme for Education; magazine director for the International Youth STEM and Education Society; editor, | Politique magazine; and staff writer, Asian Youth for Civic Engagement.

Family:

Father: Rev. Daniel Chon
Mother: Lois Chon
Younger brother: Peter Chon (16)
Household pets: Cats Vivaldi and Mozart
Church pets: Cat Go-soon and dog Mong-gu

Employment: Marketing student assistant for MGA’s Center for Career and Leadership Development; math instructor at the Mathnasium of Macon.

Degree Objective: Associate of Arts in Core Curriculum. (Chon is dually enrolled at Howard High and MGA.) When she completes her MGA degree in May 2021 she will transfer to study sociology, religion, or political science. “I am expecting most of my college decisions next month.”

Class Rank: Sophomore.

Primary Campus: Macon.

MGA Activities: President, Honors Student Association; president, International Students and Studies Association.

Career Goals: “I would like to become a journalist with a solid ethical core and sense of responsibility. I want to communicate information to the public while making sure I stay objective and informative. I want to use my voice to connect our people and unite our divided nation.” 

She chose Middle Georgia State University because … “I finished the math and science academic tracks at my high school by my sophomore year, so I decided to take dual-enrollment courses to continue to challenge myself academically. I fell in love with the beautiful campus right away, and I believe attending MGA was the best academic decision I have ever made.”  

The greatest thing she discovered about Middle Georgia State was … “The professors. I initially expected college to be a callous environment with cold, unforgiving professors. But most of my college experience so far was built around discussion and collaboration. Were there professors who were tough as nails? Of course, and they made me the scholar I am now. I am so indebted to the professors who pushed me academically and challenged me to think about world issues from a broader perspective.” 

Her greatest academic experience as a Middle Georgia State student has been … “I can’t list just one. I enjoyed taking Ms. Spears’s English Composition I course because she helped me realize the importance of diversity, cultural discussion, and how to approach stereotypes and implicit bias (whether they’re others’ or our own). I read my favorite pieces of literature in Dr. Rogers’ Honors English Composition II course, and while I often wanted to give up, I persevered and left the course a much stronger writer. I loved Dr. Morton’s Honors American Literature class because of the laid-back setup of the course. We literally came to class to just discuss our analyses of the readings, and we often held different interpretations. But even the clashing discourse we shared made us feel like we were family. Dr. Jennings’s U.S. History to 1865 course taught me the foundations of our country and the stories about women and people of color we didn’t learn about in high school. I found myself constantly asking, ‘Why?’ because I wanted to better understand what happened and what led to it happening. Dr. Miller’s Research Practicum course did not end like we had initially expected due to the pandemic, but I wrote a paper that I am so proud of and solidified my views on the approach to activism.”

To her, “greatness” means … “Overcoming obstacles and setbacks with grit. I don’t think there is anyone who is a perfect person. I certainly am not, and it took me a long time to accept that I will never be. I try to not be so hard on myself when I make mistakes. I strive for growth, and even if it doesn’t come as easily as I want to, I keep trying.”

In five years … “I plan to go to law school after college, and while I would like to become a journalist, I will keep my options open. I like to make plans, but if there is something I’ve learned during the past few years, it’s that life is full of unprecedented events. Whatever I am doing, I am sure I’ll probably be spreading myself too thin with piles of tasks in front of me, serving my local church and community, and eating pizza.”