Insun Woo, Class of 2023, is no stranger to exploring new places and experiencing new cultures. She spent her childhood in multiple countries and moved around frequently due to her parents’ work. So when her family moved to Istanbul last year, she decided to take some time off from university in exchange for a taste of life in Turkey.

Photo courtesy of Insun Woo

Speaking from her home in Istanbul via video call, the soon-to-be senior who was originally in the Class of 2022 held up a mood board filled with things she had planned to do during her Leave of Absence. Among those, there were some that she followed through with and continues to this day, including exercising daily, studying Arabic and getting to know Istanbul’s art scene.

“Ever since freshman year, I knew I wanted to take a break from school at least once before graduating because I felt like it would be an opportunity for me to reflect on what I’ve been doing and reorient myself,” Woo revealed. The summer after her junior year, when her family moved to Istanbul, felt like a perfect time for her, as her mental health was not the best and the opportunity to live in a new country seemed alluring. She had previously spent her junior year in New York doing Go Local, where her family was based at the time.

Not wanting to only experience the expatriate lifestyle, Woo actively connected with the Istanbul community by joining a volunteer organization for English speaking youth. “It’s been really nice to be able to connect with so many people who are around my age and give back to the local community together.”

In mid-March, Woo and her Turkish friends organized a Korean culture night, during which they introduced Korean history, language, pop culture and cuisine to an eager audience.

Photo courtesy of Insun Woo

As an aspiring curator and arts educator, Woo has also immersed herself in Istanbul’s contemporary art scene. In addition to visiting galleries, art spaces and museums on a weekly basis, she has written about Istanbul’s young art scene for [Canvas Magazine] (https://read.canvasonline.com/). As an editor for Global Art Daily, an independent art magazine established in Abu Dhabi, Woo regularly interviews artists and curators about their work and contributes articles to the publication. She has co-produced the [latest issue] (https://e-issues.globalartdaily.com/Editor-s-Note-E-Issue-04) on Istanbul’s art scene.

Further conversations that developed from her interviews have led her to join an international arts residency as an intern in early March. “I’ve learned so much from the conversations and work with artists and curators. I’m truly grateful for their generosity and willingness to share their work, ideas and experience. Now that I’m engaging in forms of cultural production with my own hands, I feel less alienated from the field. This experience brought me a lot of clarity as to what I want to do post-graduation,” shared Woo.

Besides catching sight of an intimate portrait of Istanbul, Woo also rekindled her Christian faith this year: “As my mental health was hit last year, my faith was challenged as well, so I thought that I have to take a pause and reconnect.” Being able to spend more time in prayer and reading the Bible had been instrumental in fortifying her beliefs while also improving her psychological well being.

“In a way, I would summarize this leave as a practice of life after graduation,” she added. “I started my leave in a completely new city, so I had to look for ways to meet new people and discover opportunities and experiences without the help of the structure of a school.”

As travel restrictions relax around the world, she hopes to travel outside of Turkey during the remainder of her leave, especially as there are many art events happening in countries nearby like Italy and Germany. She plans on returning to campus in Fall 2022 to begin her senior year.

“Really, I don’t think you can regret the decision [to take a leave]. You can get much-deserved rest, spend time with friends and family and seek encounters, experiences and opportunities that would otherwise be inaccessible, especially during a usual semester loaded with work.”