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Dear Readers, My first spring at KAIST was two years ago. I was waiting in line outside the main auditorium to take my PCR test, wearing a KF-80 mask under the March air that still bore a tinge of coldness. It was that time in history when, unbeknownst to the whole world, a virus stole the stage spo
Letter
ChaeYeon Ryu Editor-in-Chief
2024.03.23 00:49
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Dear Reader,Warmly insulated in a heavy padded jacket and walking home on a winter night, I watch as the clock on my phone changes its digits, defining a new day. Time, a natural force that runs ceaselessly, is labeled by us and partitioned into perceivable units that store our memories. With the ye
Letter
ChaeYeon Ryu Editor-in-Chief
2023.12.19 01:00
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Dear Readers, On dispiriting days, a considerate friend or family may have offered you reassurance, quoting the well-known proverb, “Failure is the mother of success.” However, it is admittedly hard to find immediate comfort in them, especially when drowning in self-doubt, and having been betrayed b
Letter
ChaeYeon Ryu Editor-in-Chief
2023.11.19 16:38
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Dear Reader,I rest my head on the glass window, looking at the familiar spread of green fields and tangled overhead power lines that pass swiftly by. I take out and admire the intricate origami crafts that my younger cousin had meticulously folded and put into my bag, some of which had crumpled and
Letter
ChaeYeon Ryu Editor-in-Chief
2023.10.13 21:19
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Dear Readers, The most unwavering heatwaves and downpours have drifted away, giving us a breather from the heavy idleness and lethargy of the summer days. Finding comfort in descending temperatures and earthy fragrances that scent the crispy air, we begin our hike up the mountain of a new semester.
Letter
ChaeYeon Ryu Editor-in-Chief
2023.09.25 16:41
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Dear Reader,Holding the title of “Editor-in-Chief of The KAIST Herald” for a full year was completely unforeseen when I entered university. The first time I heard about the English newspaper at KAIST was no more than what it reads: There’s an English newspaper at KAIST. I thought, all right, might a
Letter
Hae-Rim Kim Editor-in-Chief
2023.06.12 07:05
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Dear Reader,How much of us is innately predetermined and how much of us is “made” as a result of our environment? Yes, the typical “Nature vs. Nurture” debate. Biologically, they say genetics determine not just our appearances and susceptibility to particular health conditions, but also seemingly in
Letter
Hae-Rim Kim Editor-in-Chief
2023.05.21 16:23
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Dear Reader,I’ve always had my own method of escaping from my realities.As a child, and — albeit slightly embarrassing to admit — up until I was a teenager, I would call, “Mommy, hug me.” I would not consider myself then as an emotional person; I can count on one hand the number of times I have crie
Letter
Hae-Rim Kim Editor-in-Chief
2023.04.14 02:19
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Dear Reader,A question we always ask our newly incoming members every semester is, “What is one thing that you think should change or improve about The KAIST Herald?” From an objective view — yes, this question has its purpose; it is a great way to get feedback from an individual in the community we
Letter
Hae-Rim Kim Editor-in-Chief
2023.03.27 00:02
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Dear Reader,It’s hard to be purely and utterly honest in this Letter, to not refine the thoughts and words that will be read by however many Herald readers there may be. But for once, I think I will be.Plainly speaking, these past few weeks have been tough; they’ve been chaotic. My mind was a whirlw
Letter
Hae-Rim Kim Editor-in-Chief
2022.12.08 14:07
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I have probably used the words “unprecedented” and “tumultuous” more in the past couple of years than I have during the entire 18 years before that, and I presume it would be the same for most of us. Since the biggest waves of COVID-19 have passed by and my life seemed to “return to normalcy” with t
Letter
Hae-Rim Kim Editor-in-Chief
2022.11.17 23:23
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Dear Reader,The air has grown crisp. The chilly breeze carries the sweet scent of soil and fallen leaves. The trees begin to dye themselves a warm gradient of yellow and red. For some reason, I find autumns here at KAIST nostalgic. As I watch the wispy clouds languidly flow by, I reminisce back to m
Letter
Hae-Rim Kim Editor-in-Chief
2022.10.14 13:17
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Dear Reader,“I am more than excited to see what the future of Herald, led by the next generation of Editors, will bring to us readers.”These are the words that Jisun, my predecessor, left me with in her last letter as Editor-in-Chief. Obviously, the first of that “next generation of Editors” — is me
Letter
Hae-Rim Kim Editor-in-Chief
2022.09.25 22:43
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Dear Reader,“I’m sooo excited!” exclaimed soprano Sumi Jo, as she described her emotions right before delivering her special lecture to KAIST students. It was her first time giving a lecture about herself to anyone, but rather than being worried too much, she was filled with excitement and anticipat
Letter
Jisun Lee Editor-in-Chief
2022.06.15 20:33
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Dear Reader,In this “interconnected” and “globalized” era, anywhere in the world seems so reachable. Just thirteen hours of flight can get you to the opposite side of the planet. Even just a few minutes on your phone will bring to you what’s going on in the other hemisphere. Yet, you often barely kn
Letter
Jisun Lee Editor-in-Chief
2022.05.23 21:56
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Dear Reader,Last week of March, it came as a pleasant surprise that my parents got a new home in a city I used to live in approximately ten years ago. Taking a stroll around the city, I could see that so much remained the same: the pathway I used to walk to elementary school, the stream I would go w
Letter
Jisun Lee Editor-in-Chief
2022.04.14 01:17
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Dear Reader,March is my favorite month of the year: it’s not quite spring yet, but I know that it’s on its way. Everyone patiently awaits spring to fully blossom while appreciating how the afternoon air becomes warmer by the day. I have something that I can clearly look forward to: the cherry blosso
Letter
Jisun Lee Editor-in-Chief
2022.03.24 23:16
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Dear Reader,When I booked a KTX ticket with literally no other plan than the fact that I would be heading to Busan at 10 a.m. on November 20, my friends called me the most impulsive person they knew. By the morning of the trip, I had a rough list of places I might want to visit and the Airbnb I woul
Letter
Jisun Lee Editor-in-Chief
2021.12.18 20:03
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Dear Reader,As I wiggle my arm into my white fleece jacket, I complain to my roommate about how and why it’s suddenly winter after what seemed like 10 seconds of fall weather. And how there are less than two months left of 2021. Well, the good side of that is I have something exciting to count down
Letter
Jisun Lee Editor-in-Chief
2021.11.21 21:28
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Dear Reader,“Even on your busiest days, know how to enjoy one hour of beer with your loved ones.”That’s probably the most valuable lesson my dad has ever taught me, and the one I try never to forget. My dad is one of the busiest people I know, waking up at six thirty in the morning and returning at
Letter
Jisun Lee Editor-in-Chief
2021.10.14 01:02