Writing

Writing

I especially enjoy researching and writing about science, mostly physics, but I also like literary and creative writing. I am a staff writer and web editor for The Tiger Tribune, the print and web newspaper of Seoul International School Middle School, and my essay Violation is Justification won the Gold Award in the Kim Koo International Essay and Arts Competition, sponsored by UNESCO.

Here you can read my Tiger Tribune articles, that essay, and Whirling Waves, a science magazine I researched and wrote, along with We Are Earth, a story about climate change, and my poem A Lively, Unruly Mind.

No. 01 · Student newspaper · Staff writer & web editor2026–Present

The Tiger Tribune

I report and write for The Tiger Tribune, the print and web newspaper of Seoul International School Middle School, and I help edit and publish stories on its website as a web editor.

Visit The Tiger Tribune ↗
No. 02 · Argumentative essay · Gold AwardOct. 15, 2026

Violation is Justification

Gold Award (1st Place), Lower Division · Kim Koo International Essay and Arts Competition, sponsored by UNESCO

Using Kim Koo and Korea under Japanese occupation as the example, this essay argues that resisting a government is justified when it forces cultural assimilation, uses physical oppression, and strips people of self-determination.

First page of the essay Violation is Justification
Click to read the essay ↗
Award notice email from the Kim Koo Heritage Foundation
Award notice from the Kim Koo Heritage Foundation · Oct. 15, 2026
Read the essay (PDF) ↗
No. 03 · Physics magazineJan. 30, 2026

Whirling Waves

A seven-page magazine on the physics of light and waves: transverse and longitudinal waves, Young’s double-slit experiment, the search for the luminiferous aether, electromagnetic waves, and particle-wave duality. I presented it as an exhibit at a school showcase for Grade 4 and 5 students and parents.

Jian standing in front of the printed Whirling Waves magazine pagesJian presenting Whirling Waves to classmates
Read the magazine (PDF) ↗
No. 05 · Earth4All · Climate fictionJul. 15, 2026

We Are Earth

A story told by the Earth itself, following a boy from Los Angeles who grows up during a sand shortage, becomes a material scientist, and helps build a greener world through the “We Are Earth Initiative.”

Read the story (PDF) ↗
No. 06 · Research project · with JacobJun. 1, 2026

Sand Shortage

A research board on why the world is running short of sand, the second most consumed natural resource. It covers the causes, from urbanization to illegal mining, and solutions such as manufactured sand (M-sand) and recycling. I presented it at a school showcase for Grade 4 and 5 students, teachers, and parents.

The Sand Shortage research boardJian presenting the Sand Shortage board
View the full board ↗
No. 07 · Third grade · Vista Grande Elementary, Cohort 2Nov. 8, 2023

Rich Beyond Measure

A descriptive piece about my room, from the gray bunk bed and the crowded closet to my greatest treasure of all, my library of English and Korean books. I wrote it in a parent-child writing workshop offered by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, and it was published in the workshop's anthology.

Read the piece (PDF) ↗
Where it started
Second grade · Personal narrativeNov. 2022

Step by Step

A personal narrative about reaching a big goal by setting small goals, based on my first year of taekwondo.

Read the story (PDF) ↗