This month, The KAIST Herald interviewed Ysa Margarita San Juan, the President of KAIST International Student Association (KISA). Over the past two semesters, KISA has seen a growth in popularity and acceptance among the international community. In this interview, Ysa shared with us some of her thoughts regarding KISA’s current activities, achievements, and what the future holds for one of the biggest international student clubs at KAIST. 

It has been almost a year since you have become President of KISA. What visions did you have for KISA, and do you think that you achieved them?

One of my goals was to make KISA known among international students. With the current amount of actual feedback we are getting from the international student body, I feel like we’re becoming more popular these days, as more and more people seem to gain interest in our events, and this fact makes me very happy and fulfilled with the work we’re doing. The spots for one of our recent events [were completely] filled in just a couple of hours; we’re still growing, but we’ve been at our highest level of popularity so far. 

Another goal of mine was [to make] KISA members more connected to one another. Recently, we’ve had an MT, [and] we go out more and socialize. I think we’re also seeing some improvement there. 

You mentioned that KISA was not as popular previously as it is now. Why do you think that changed?

One of the reasons behind why we’re getting so much more recognition compared to previous semesters is the amount of work that goes into promoting KISA. One of the most vivid examples of our efforts towards spreading more information about KISA is us joining the Club Fair this semester. Initially, we weren’t supposed to be a part of that; however, we thought that we won’t get recognized by others if we don’t participate. [After the event,] we have seen considerable growth in popularity, with a lot of exchange and freshman students joining us this semester and participating in our activities. 

Where do you think KISA’s reputation among the student community is currently at?

It’s good, but [it] could be better. The same people are applying for our events. That’s not a bad thing, but I want to reach out to the majority of international students, and we’re not there yet.

There was a sudden and unforeseen resignation of the previous president. Could you comment on that? 

It’s not my story to tell, but I think that if he had some personal reasons for resigning and if he knew that such reasons would affect his work in KISA, then resignation is for the good and could be understood. 

KISA consists of five divisions. What do you think about the progress they’ve made during your term?

The Events division has definitely improved. [The members] are very organized, which I see through their dedication toward every event they organize. [The team has implemented] very detailed timing and planning for the events. Additionally, they began making feedback forms, so we get direct feedback from the participants after each event and we know exactly where to improve and to prepare better for next events. 

Welfare continues as usual; they organize KAITalks, Table Talks, [and more]. For example, we’ve brought up the stipend issue to the Office of the President this semester. This initiative was mostly handled by [the Welfare team, and] they came up with a survey about international students’ financial position. Welfare division is also responsible for promoting jobs for international students. We have been told that the Welfare team [has helped] 53 international students in finding either a part-time job or an internship.

The Web division is currently in the process of developing a multimedia section for our website. When it gets deployed, people will be able to look at pictures from past events [and become] more aware of what KISA has done in the past. Last semester, they released the “important links” page. KAIST students [often] struggle to find links to certain websites, so the Web division has developed a page for that. Students can find links to [information such as] academics-specific websites, jobs, [and] useful information for living in Korea. 

The Promotions division works hand in hand with the Welfare division. It is mostly in charge of our promotional materials, such as event posters and short videos on social media platforms. Right now, [the team is] planning to start a video series featuring KAIST students. 

The Finance and Logistics division did not really have a job before; it was a very small division managing money for KISA, but it has expanded. The team is currently looking for sponsorship for KISA events from companies outside KAIST. They are targeting mostly international students and Korean companies that provide services to foreigners. They also took part in the Hoodie Design Contest, so they’re getting a lot more work to do these days, and I am very proud of that. 

The KISA Web division has seen a big leap over the past two semesters, but compared to other divisions, the Web division is a little bit further away from students. Why did the Web division in particular see such a big improvement?
This semester, I met up with the division heads and discussed our future plans with them individually. The Web division started implementing our ideas as soon as we came up with them. Each division member was assigned a page to implement, and I think the Web division members were particularly passionate about that as they treated putting the website on its feet as their individual projects. Such passion and dedication has made the Web division make a huge leap from where they were before.

Are there any further improvements that you think should be made in KISA?

What I noticed is that we [are all] working together, but we rarely get to bond. What can be improved is having more social gatherings to make teamwork better and more productive. It is hard to organize occasional non-work-related hangouts because of my busy schedule, but I think that the relationships among KISA members have been improving since everything has become offline. 

Regarding KISA’s operations, our reach to international [students] could be better. For the past few years, we have been making posters and occasional reels. It would be a good idea to film more video series about international students. That’s what we’re implementing right now.

Another problem is reaching out to staff at KAIST. When we identify a problem, we try to look for a department or team at KAIST that would help us, but reaching out to them is challenging. The main reason is that they mainly communicate in Korean, so it’s impossible to convey problems in their fullest to them. We would benefit a lot if we could improve our reach to the KAIST staff other than ISSS.

What do you think makes a good KISA president?

I think a good president should be really dedicated, as well as have a passion for improving the community they are a part of, because you cannot do productive work on something you don’t care about. [Having the] willingness to help, dedication, and of course, free time constitute a perfect candidate for the post of KISA president. 

If you had a chance, would you become President again?

I wouldn’t. As much as I like helping others, I think other people would also do a great job being a KISA president. That’s why [presidents]  don’t get reelected in KISA — so that new [members] can identify new problems and offer a fresh perspective on current operations.

I would also need to take a break [from] myself. Being [in] such a position is not really hard, but it can get overwhelming sometimes because of [the] pressure. As most operations go through me, if something does not go as planned, [the responsibility is] on me. I feel like most of the pressure I feel comes from within myself because I want to work as efficiently as possible to make others happy. 

Do you have any advice for the next KISA president?

Improve your delegation skills. Sometimes KISA members tell me that I’m doing stuff which shouldn’t necessarily be done by me. Know your members well, so that you can delegate time and tasks efficiently not just for yourself, but also for all KISA members. Lastly, of course, plan ahead the course load, as managing different things at once can quickly get out of hand.