On February 9, Junwoo Oh sat with a friend watching the 2020 Oscars. He watched in amazement as Bong Joon Ho stepped onto the shiny black stage to accept the Best Picture award for “Parasite”.
Junwoo’s passion for art can be seen in his interest in the creative writing class here at SMHS. Ms. Peñaloza-Bluvstein was the creator of the class in 2020 and has continued to teach it every year since. “I think a lot of the atmosphere in creative writing is because of Junwoo’s influence. [The students in class] are not the same now as when they joined two years ago, and I think that’s part of it – the energy catches.” Junwoo was one of the initial members, making a pact with three of his friends to join the class, and decided to stick around for the rest of his time at San Mateo High. She can only hope that the members of creative writing who aren’t graduating will continue carrying the unique energy that Junwoo has created.
In September of 2022, he and a friend, Abe Bredl, released the journalism class’ first podcast ever. On the podcast, “Peak Cinema”, the two of them discuss some of the worst movies they know. “Journalism is a great place for people who want to pursue an interest, and create stuff around it,” explains Mr. Pirie, teacher of journalism here at SMHS, “and nobody is more interested in stuff than Junwoo… He’s just really passionately interested in what he’s interested in, and it comes across in his work.”
On most Tuesdays and Thursdays, Junwoo can be found in the school library, working as a paid ELD tutor. Although he was born in Korea, he did not need to go through the ELD program when he arrived here in America seven years ago. “One of the reasons I did ELD tutoring was because, even though I was privileged enough to go to an academy in Korea that taught English, I still know what it’s like to feel ‘othered’ by a new community.” Translating is a day-to-day job, as he needs to help at home with his mom who does not speak English.
He states, “working as a tutor offers a new perspective on how both America and our school work.” He explains that he often feels like he’s the one being tutored because of how much he learns from the students, and that he has stayed this long as a tutor because of his interest in learning about other peoples’ experiences.
Uri Boaz, a fellow ELD tutor, comments, “Everyone loves him, he has a way with words, and he knows how to be friendly and compassionate.” Colin Stuart, a fellow creative writing student, adds to Uri’s statement, “He really empathizes and connects with the students on a personal level instead of just telling them how to solve a problem. He knows them as people, which is a vital part of tutoring.”
After his senior year of high school, Junwoo plans to focus on sociology at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. He wants to be a film director and writer, because of the impact that film has had on him throughout his life. “Mainstream media has influenced my perspective of the world as much as my parents did.” One of his goals is to create art that introduces more inclusive and progressive ideas, in order to make fewer people feel alone. “Don’t write what other people want to hear, write what you would never tell yourself.”