We caught up with our new Lower School Teacher, Ms. Helen Park, in order to help the community learn more about her.
1) Are you married? Kids?
I am not married, and I do not have kids.
2) Where did you go to school?
I graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Elementary and Special Education
(Mild Intervention), with a concentration in Reading, along with a minor in Global
Studies and Learning Science in the Spring of 2021. I will then obtain my master’s in
Educational Leadership from Purdue University this Summer of 2024.
3) What gets you up in the morning?
I am a “morning bird” type of person. I prefer to work in the morning rather than at night.
I especially love spending time praying and reading my study Bible at 4 a.m. each
morning! This sets my mood and attitude towards living for the glory of God for each
given day.
4) What are your favorite hobbies?
I love to read! Recently, two of my close friends from church recommended the
Goodreads app to help me track and stay motivated with my reading. This reading app
has become my favorite so far because I can not only track the books I’m reading but
also add many more to my reading list, allowing me to read even more books!
5) What is one of your hidden talents?
The following talents are my hidden talents:
- My family’s home used to have a WiFi password composed of a random set of
letters and numbers. No one could memorize the password except for myself. In
addition to this, I can remember most randomly assorted passwords. - I can also identify most scents, whether nearby or far away from myself.
6) What is your favorite book and why?
When I was a junior in high school, I was required to read the book titled Pride and Prejudice by
Jane Austen. This book sparked my everlasting love for Jane Austen literature. During my
senior year of high school, when it was time to choose a book for my term paper, I selected
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. This book has become one of my favorites. I couldn’t
bring myself to stop reading until I reached the end.
Following the unique love stories of the two sisters in this book, Elinor and Marianne, and
connecting how the book’s title, Sense and Sensibility, plays into each of these characters was
just too fascinating for me to put the book down! Throughout the book, I found myself relating to
each sister as they experienced love and heartbreak. From their journeys, I also learned the life
lesson that it is equally important to have both sense and sensibility.
Overall, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen was a book that not only made a clear
connection to my life but also taught me a lesson applicable for years to come.
(P.S. I loved working on the term paper for this book, and it didn’t feel like work. I was thrilled to
receive an A on my assignment as well!)
7) How long have you lived in Indiana and why do you enjoy living here?
I am originally from Seoul, South Korea. However, I see Indiana as my ‘American’ home
state as it was the first state I moved to from South Korea.
My family first moved to West Lafayette, IN when I was in 4th grade. Then, we briefly
lived in Texas when I was in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Finally, my family moved back to
Indiana just before I began 9th grade. Since then, I have been in West Lafayette, IN,
attending both West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School and Purdue University (Boiler Up!).
Presently, I am excited to start a new chapter in my life, not only by becoming part of
the the CDA family but also by living in Carmel! So, I would appreciate any help in
getting around Carmel, as well as some neat places around Carmel for me to check out!
8) What meaningful event in your past significantly influenced your life?
The most meaningful event in my past life that significantly influenced my life was when
I found the purpose for my own life.
During my elementary years in South Korea, I remember daily asking questions such
as, ‘What is the purpose of life?’ and ‘What is my purpose here on Earth?’ Even though I
attended church for both Sunday services and other church-related activities, the
message about ‘God’ did not reach me. With this questioning mindset about whether or
not ‘God’ exists, I continued to ponder the purpose of life. Looking back, I am very
thankful that God was present even during my questioning stages. I am also grateful
that God never forsook me in His pursuit of me.
Still questioning the existence of God and the purpose of life, my family moved to West
Lafayette, IN in the fall of 2008. Then, during the summer of 2009, my mom enrolled
both my brother and me in a week-long Christian summer camp. This summer camp
was a typical vacation Bible school where we had worship, listened to sermons, and
had recreational time. However, during this particular summer at this specific camp, the
Lord revealed Himself very clearly to me. During a worship song about His sacrifice on
the cross, He showed me that it was His grace alone that saved me. With this
revelation, all the questions I had about the Lord and the purpose of life were
completely resolved. At that moment, all I wanted to do was to serve the Lord with all
my heart, mind, and soul. I wanted to serve Him by using my love for kids so that the
younger generation could know and love the Lord!
9) What historical figure would you like to spend a day with?
I would love to spend a day with my favorite 18th-century English author, Jane Austen.
As I have already devoured her books along with several devotionals featuring both
scriptures and Jane Austen’s quotes, I would have loved to actually converse with her. I
would have enjoyed seeing her life and how it influenced the storylines of her books. All
in all, I would simply love to have an afternoon tea time with Jane Austen, chatting
about the simplicity of life!
10) What would we be surprised to learn about you?
All Korean names have Chinese characters that represent each of the Korean words.
These Chinese characters provide meanings for the name.
Here is an example using my name:
My Korean name ( 박혜린) also has a Chinese character ( 樸慧琳). My name means
that I am graceful to others.
