I’m Amanda Choi, a former intern for SNS who joined through Boston University’s study abroad internship program in London. I grew up in the Greater New York City area, surrounded by the culture and resilience of my Korean heritage, passed down from my grandparents and parents who immigrated from South Korea to the United States in the 1970s and 1980s.

In high school, I discovered the power of using my voice. Through Model UN, where I represented South Korea, I realized that knowledge and conviction could make people listen, and that I could use my voice for good.

At fourteen, I was torn between becoming a doctor, drawn by my curiosity about biology and the human body, or a lawyer, driven by my desire to advocate for others. What was clear to me even then was that I needed to do something meaningful that helped people.

When I entered college as an International Relations major, I knew this path would help me understand the world before trying to change it. My classes deepened not only my knowledge but also my emotional connection to global issues. As the political climate in the United States shifted, I found myself fearing for the rights of my family, friends, and community. This period opened my eyes to how identity, justice, and empathy shape our understanding of the world. It also prepared me for what came next: my time in London.

When I was placed with SNS, I was immediately drawn to its mission of bringing firsthand voices from the Israel-Palestine conflict into UK classrooms. After October 7th, the news in the United States felt distant, overwhelming, and hard to process. SNS changed that.

Accompanying speakers such as Mira, Magen, Hamze, and Yaniv on tours around London and hearing their stories of pain, loss, and their commitment to peace transformed my perspective. It reframed empathy for me, turning it from something I simply felt into something I could practice. I began to see how storytelling can bridge divides and how educators and speakers can quietly shape a more compassionate world.

The teachers who brought SNS into their classrooms reminded me why I fell in love with learning in the first place. They, along with my colleagues, showed me the kind of work that sparks understanding and maybe even peace, one conversation at a time.

I have always felt emotions deeply: anger, fear, frustration. Through SNS, I learned to channel those feelings into something constructive, into words and dialogue that could move people toward understanding. The world still feels uncertain and sometimes frightening, but because of the people I met through SNS and their perseverance, compassion, and conviction, I feel stronger and more hopeful. I know for sure that I will bring home these lessons with me as I enter classroom spaces to begin dialogue that feels important and necessary in the political climate I exist in. 

SNS was my first internship, and it set the bar high. I can only hope that my future career moves me the way SNS did, reminding me that empathy, when put into action, can change everything. 

Thank you, SNS, for everything you have done for UK classrooms and for me.

With love from other side of the pond,

Amanda

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