Diagnosed with Cancer in 12th Grade but Studied 13 Hours a Day... "I Got into Seoul National University through EBS"

Stories of Students Overcoming Adversity Without Private Education
Father Collapsed, Family of Four Living on 1.9 Million Won per Month

Stories of students who have worked hard to succeed in college despite difficult circumstances, such as being diagnosed with cancer or coming from financially disadvantaged families, are gaining attention.

Dream Scholarship Student Lee Hyun-woo Admitted to Seoul National University Department of History
Photo by EBS News Footage

On the 29th, EBS selected 10 students who overcame hardships and were admitted to their target universities as this year's 'Dream Scholarship Students.' The 'Dream Scholarship' is a program where the Ministry of Education and EBS award scholarships to students who achieve their goals solely through school classes and EBS lectures without private tutoring.

One of the scholarship recipients, Lee Hyun-woo, was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in January last year when he was a senior in high school. Lee confessed, "The surgery had a 70% chance of causing facial paralysis," and "I couldn't focus on studying."

Fortunately, the surgery went well, but Lee had to travel back and forth between his hometown Jeju and Seoul, where the hospital was located, to receive radiation therapy. He also suffered from side effects such as frequent nosebleeds and sensitive skin, which made him consider taking a leave of absence.

However, thanks to his homeroom teacher who helped him attend online classes even while away from home and EBS online lectures, Lee did not give up on studying. Despite battling cancer, he concentrated on studying for 13 hours a day, graduated as the top student in the humanities department, and was admitted to the Department of History at Seoul National University.

He also expressed gratitude, saying, "I was listening to EBS teacher Yoon Hye-jung's lectures during a difficult time, and she read my story during the class," and "She empathized with me and encouraged me, saying I could do well."

Dream Scholarship student Kwak Su-hyun who enrolled in the Department of Consumer Studies at Ewha Womans University [Photo by EBS]

Another scholarship recipient, Kwak Soo-hyun, experienced her father suddenly suffering a myocardial infarction when she was a sophomore in high school. Fortunately, her father recovered, but he was unable to work, leaving her mother’s monthly income of 1.9 million won as the only source of income for their family of four.

Kwak said, "I was selected as a basic livelihood security recipient, so I obviously could not afford private tutoring," and "At that time, EBS was truly my only option." Instead of private education, she created her own study methods by studying with friends in study groups and repeatedly reviewing EBS textbooks and lectures.

After diligent effort, Kwak was admitted to Ewha Womans University’s Department of Consumer Studies. She shared a message for juniors studying under difficult circumstances like herself: "Don’t just try to endure the hard, tiring, and sad feelings?fully experience them," and "I hope you pursue what you want to do without feeling intimidated."

In addition, students from single-parent families or those who started the college entrance exam at a late age, among others facing harsh learning environments, also received the Dream Scholarship. The total amount of scholarships awarded to this year’s recipients was 33 million won.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.