Minju Cho serves as the Fulbright Korean FLTA at the University of Notre Dame for the 2025-2026 academic year. In this role, she leads Elementary Korean I and supports both First and Second-year Korean language courses. Originally from Gwangju, she is a dedicated educator who finds joy in bridging the gap between traditional language learning and contemporary culture.
Minju’s academic background is as diverse as her professional journey. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Seoul National University of Science and Technology, where she double-majored in English Language and Literature and Sports Science. To solidify her expertise in her native tongue, she also completed a professional certification program in teaching Korean as a foreign language at Yonsei University. This multidisciplinary foundation allows her to approach language instruction from both a linguistic and a systematic perspective.
Before turning her focus toward education, Minju built a multifaceted career in Seoul, where she lived for ten years. She began as a content designer in Gwangju and later held roles as an IT project manager and in university administration. While her path was not linear, Minju views these experiences through the lens of Steve Jobs’ famous concept: “connecting the dots.” She believes that every role—from managing tech projects to designing visual content—has ultimately converged to make her a more effective educator. “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward,” Minju explains. “Now, I see how my tech and design skills provide me with unique tools to create a more structured and visually engaging classroom.”
Her move to the United States was a long-held dream, but the choice of Notre Dame was a fortunate turn of events. Though she didn't initially choose the location, she has embraced the change of pace. “Compared to the fast-paced life in Seoul, Notre Dame is peaceful,” she says. “The supportive community here has given me the space to truly embrace my calling.” This peace has allowed her to integrate her Certified Tour Guide expertise into her teaching, sharing Korea’s rich history and heritage alongside the language. She even utilizes her digital research skills to bring Korea’s latest trends and Gen-Z slang into the classroom, ensuring the language feels relevant to her students’ digital lives.
Minju’s teaching philosophy is uniquely informed by her background in Sports Science, as she likens language learning to physical exercise. “Learning a language is like working out,” she explains. “If you stop, you lose progress. But with small, steady daily practice, you can achieve great things.” This disciplined approach is balanced with a sense of empathy. When facing new challenges, she finds reassurance in the Gyeongsang-do dialect phrase, “Gwae-an-ta,” or “It’s okay”—a warm reminder she often shares with her students to encourage them as they learn.
Following her Fulbright tenure, Minju plans to pursue a PhD with the ultimate goal of becoming a Professor of Korean Language Education. She aspires to combine her extensive field experience with advanced academic research, aiming to contribute to the global community as a scholar who truly understands the classroom. For Minju, the experience at Notre Dame is a foundational step toward this lifelong mission—proving that all the dots of her past have led her exactly where she was meant to be.
About the CSLC
The Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures (CSLC) aims to support language learners at ND by facilitating meaningful experiences with linguistic acquisition and exchange both in our campus community and abroad. We believe that access to the world's languages and cultures allows us to seek out new perspectives, to value the diversity of the world's cultures, and to embody global citizenship.
Originally published by at cslc.nd.edu on March 06, 2026.