Here’s a student highlight story on Jungseuk Yoo from CARP Buffalo.
Meet Jung, an optimistic, friendly guy and a constant learner who just started a CARP chapter on his campus at the State University of New York at Buffalo. A junior studying Psychology, Jung is passionate about people and how people think and is always working to expand his understanding on the subject.
As someone born and raised in the Unificationist faith, Jung was always inspired by the founders’ words and ideals about the world especially the ideal of one global family under God. Upon entering his third year of university, Jung set out to find a platform by which he could share this ideal with his fellow university students.
“CARP is an organization that focuses on helping people to mature. I wanted to have something in place to help college students mature and do better for their future.”
After engaging with CARP for the first time at a STEP UP workshop in Las Vegas last summer, Jung felt guided by CARP and decided to start up CARP Buffalo on his campus.
So, What’s the Motivation?
Jung has two distinct motivations for starting up a CARP chapter on his campus.
One, Jung wants to create a space for people to give and receive love. His experience growing up in the Unificationist faith with Unification Principles was a positive one as he recalls a loving and nurturing environment.
“Living my entire life in this community, the focus was always on loving each other. My motivation now is to help college students to receive that same kind of love.”
In a world that doesn’t easily love, Jung wants to build something that can transmit his experience of unconditional love to others around him.
Jung participated in the Unificationist Marriage ceremony (the Blessing) last March 2016, a tradition of eternal love.
Two, Jung wants to leave a legacy. In thinking beyond his stay at the University at Buffalo, Jung envisions leaving behind a successful club that will be able to guide future students.
“Upon graduation from college, I want to leave something behind where future college students can continue to mature themselves. CARP is a good platform because it’s something that anyone can be part of to gain something and learn about the idea of maturity.”
Jung’s legacy would be that of growing the CARP mission “to inspire and empower students to be global citizens by engaging them in the study and application of Unification Principles.” The Unification Principles are a guide to developing a holistic, mature human being with values rooted in loving others and contributing to a world of peace.
Keeping the Eye on the Ball
First order of business for Jung was to find out how to register a club on campus. The form turned out to be simple enough – he just needed ten people to sign up with him and an adviser for the club.
University at Buffalo students walking on campus during fall semester.
Though Jung is someone who enjoys sharing and talking with people and had a desire to share his CARP Buffalo vision, this task still had its challenges.
“It could have taken me less time, but I hesitated a lot because of the negativity.”
In reaching out to other students and potential advisers, Jung encountered some negative feedback because of CARP’s association with the Unification Movement. Instead of throwing in the towel, Jung received every feedback, positive and negative, and worked to incorporate them into his vision for CARP Buffalo.
Some of the negative feedback expressed that CARP seemed too religious. Jung felt this narrow-minded view was limiting CARP Buffalo’s potential for connecting people.
“CARP Buffalo is not about religion. It’s about the idea of maturity – how to achieve true maturity – and connection. People want to feel connected to one another and that’s what this club has to offer.”
With the help of the CARP coaching program, Jung set a weekly goal to talk to at least three people about his CARP Buffalo vision and to hear their thoughts. In the end, Jung found ten students willing to join and a professor to support the club as its adviser.
Accomplishing the Attainable
Like so many of us, Jung had an inspiration. He wanted to create a space on his campus wherein students could connect around the unifying principle of wanting to become the best versions of themselves, or to put it more curtly, to mature.
With clear motivations rooted in his desire to establish something for a greater good, Jung could be open and aware of the opportunities to actualize that idea. Meeting CARP in Las Vegas was that opportunity that led him on the path of establishing his own CARP chapter. And he had CARP’s continuous support in the form of coaching to accomplish this realistic goal.
Jung’s hard work in establishing the club started to come to fruition as he organized CARP Buffalo’s first meeting earlier this December. There, he encountered enthusiasm from the participants as he explained CARP Buffalo’s vision and how it plans to engage the student body next semester.
Jung and CARP Buffalo members enjoying Korean melona ice cream after their meeting.
“It feels great!”
Yes, it feels great to work for something you believe in and to accomplish a long-standing goal. With personal grit and community support (from friends and CARP HQ), Jung accomplished not the unimaginable and inconceivable, but in fact, a very realistic, attainable goal.
CARP is inspired by Jung’s dedication to his goals and encourage him to continue to strive for bigger and greater things in his studies and in his interaction with people in his CARP chapter.