News and Events

UNEP comes to TCIS for Green Week

Theodore Oben is a children and youth programme specialist and head of the Children & Youth / Sport & the Environment Unit at UNEP's Division of Communications and Public Information. He has extensive experience in project strategy design and development, organization and coordination of international conferences, project fund-raising strategy, as well as building coalitions and strategic partnerships with various organizations. He specializes in projects and programmes for young people. Theodore Oben has developed networks for over 5,000 youth organizations, 12,000 schools and organizations as well as electronic networks for reaching out to schools, children and youth groups in more than 150 countries. His key achievements include organization of several children's conferences and retreats worldwide, successful initialization of several youth-based projects, development of the UNEP long-term strategy for children and youth and sport for the UNEP governing council. He has also coordinated the production of several publications and information materials for children and youth. Oben holds a Masters of Science degree in Management and Organizational Development from United States International University, Nairobi, Kenya.

Jennifer Song (Class of 2008)

First Team All-American, Golfweek’s No. 1 Ranked Player in the U.S. & Second Woman to Win two U.S. Golf Association Championships in one year

Ms. Jennifer Song, a member of the TCIS Class of 2008, has set the standard for amateur women’s golf in the United States and, perhaps, the world. Jennifer, who will be a sophomore this year at the University of Southern California (USC), helped lead the USC Trojan Women’s Golf Team to a third-place finish in the 2009 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships. Individually, she finished the season as the “No. 1 ranked player in the nation” according to Golfweek Magazine while leading the nation with her 71.55 stroke average and setting a USC record season stroke average by more than half a stroke. Jennifer led the field heading into the final hole at the 2009 NCAA Women's Golf Championships before finishing one shot out for second place. She also finished second at the 2009 Pac-10 Championships and the 2009 NCAA West Regional. On the season, Jennifer carded five second-place finishes in 10 starts and led USC with seven rounds in the 60s.

Other individual honors that she garnered in her first year of intercollegiate competition included: National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) First Team All-American, the NGCA “Freshman of the Year,” the Pac-10 “Freshman of the Year,” the Pac-10 First Team All-Conference, the NGCA NCAA West Regional first team, and the Golfstat Organization’s “Golfstat Cup” for lowest season stroke average in the country (71.55).

Jennifer and her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Museok Song, were invited to this year’s TCIS graduation ceremony where Dr. Penland introduced her to those in attendance as a very distinguished alumna. In speaking with Jennifer on her recent visit to TCIS, she again expressed her sincere appreciation to the school, the administration, and her teachers for the preparation she received. She and her parents also expressed their appreciation for the support she continues to receive from her “fan base” in Korea, specifically TCIS.

This past summer 2009, Jennifer became only the second woman ever to win two U.S. Golf Association (USGA) championships in the same year. She won the U.S. Women's Amateur (WA) held from August 3-9 at the Old Warson Country Club, St. Louis, Missouri and the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links (WAPL) held from June 22-27 at the Redtail Golf Club, Devens, Massachusetts. Jennifer's win at the WAPL was the largest margin in the 33 year history of the event. Ms. Pearl Sinn is the only other woman to win two USGA titles in a year, taking the 1988 Amateur and Public Links.

In addition to competing in the two USGA amateur events this summer 2009, Jennifer also competed in the number one women’s golfing event in the world, the U.S. Women’s Open held from July 9-12 at the Saucon Valley Country Club, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Jennifer finished tied for thirteen in this star-studded field and was the top amateur finisher.

TCIS community is very proud of the success that Ms. Jennifer Song has achieved while balancing a challenging collegiate athletic season with a university academic course load. Those interested in learning more about Jennifer’s 2009 USC golfing season can visit: http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/usc-w-golf-body.html

Dr. Yi, Soo-yeon

The first Korean astronaut, Dr. Yi, Soo-yeon, visits TCIS! The TCIS students were thrilled to hear about Dr. Yi's space training, travel and landing in an all school assembly on February 4th. There were many humorous moments as Dr. Yi described her journey from being a PH.D student at Kaist to riding a Soyuz rocket into space. The challenge of basic body functions in an anti-gravity environment in a space suit is not for the shy or faint hearted. Dr. Yi trained for one year in Russia before she was ready to visit the international space station and work on 18 experiements. We so appreciate her visiting TCIS and allowing the students to take the journey with her in slides and words. It was wonderful!