"Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold, And many goodly states and kingdoms seen"

– On First Looking into Chapman's Homer, by John Keats

Project 1

2024–2025 in USA

Writing my MA thesis titled “Assessing Korea’s 2010 Vocational Education Policy Reform: Longitudinal Evidence from Labor Market and Satisfaction Outcomes” was my first academic research project. Co-authored with William Kim, the paper assessed the reform on labor market and non-market outcomes using multivariate regressions on multi-cohort panel data. We found that the reform was associated with improved labor market performance and greater school satisfaction. At the same time, our heterogeneous analyses revealed favorable economic premiums for elite and upper-income graduates. During this project, I learned not only about vocational education but also about what makes a good partneship and how to achieve good results while making compromises. My advisors also taught me a lot by showing academic rigor, professionalism, and decency. Now Will and I are looking forward to submitting our paper to journals, with the hope of reaching a broader audience.

Project 2

2024 in Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone, where many girls have long suffered from sexual violence and FGM, my project at ChildFund Korea aimed to ensure that they could access secondary education and learn in a safe and inclusive environment. The project provided school supplies for students, improved WASH facilities in six schools, and raised awareness on the importance of girls’ education in the communities. These efforts were more impactful in enabling out-of-school girls (many excluded due to pregnancy and child care) to return to learning, by offering in-person and remote learning support, as well as early childhood centers near schools where girls could leave their kids during school hours. Working alongside the dedicated colleagues at ChildFund Sierra Leone, I contributed to ensuring that the project stayed on schedule and within budget, while producing high-quality periodic technical/financial reports.

Project 3

Talks and Lectures

My guest talks and lectures have primarily taken place at:
- Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)

- Sajik High School

- Soongduk Girls' High School

- Jeonju National University of Education

made by Dayeong Kim © 2025. All rights reserved.