Singer Haee disclosed that she failed 161 times before becoming a professor at an American university.

On 4th, she appeared on tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block,' transitioning from a singer who sang 'Je T'aime' 25 years ago to a professor at an American university.

Haee is currently serving as a professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at a public university in the United States. That day, her sister Soy from Titimah also came to support her.

Haee is also known for being from a family of musicians. Her brother-in-law is Jo Gyu-chan, her brother is Jo Gyu-man, who sang 'I'll Give It All,' and her cousin is known as Paul Kim.

Regarding her husband Jo Gyu-chan, she said, 'He is currently working on album production and is the head of Kyung Hee Cyber University.' She also noted about Jo Gyu-man, 'He is continuing to work on his albums.'

Haee, who left for the United States to study with her husband Jo Gyu-chan in 2010, explained, 'As I stood on stage as a musical actor, I thought I needed to understand this space and study to grow as an actor, so I wanted to study.'

Having majored in performing arts in the United States, Haee stated, 'I had some confidence from learning English since childhood, but I found it hard to read English original books. It took me 3-4 hours to read a page. I wondered how my friends could read while running on the treadmill. Preparing for classes overnight and having to balance parenting and studying was really tough at that time.'

After returning to Korea and earning a Ph.D. in English literature from Yonsei University, Haee succeeded in being accepted into a postdoctoral program at the University of Michigan. Regarding her decision to become a professor, she replied, 'The more I engaged in research, the more I wanted an environment where I could continue steadily and naturally felt like I wanted to share with students.'

Ultimately, she succeeded on her 162nd attempt, saying, 'I applied to 161 American universities over three years. There were many times when I really wanted to give up. I thought I would get used to being rejected, but it became harder. When I first applied, I was filled with confidence and hope, but being rejected over and over again and making it to the final stages only to be turned down without knowing what went wrong was tough.'

The person who lifted her spirits when she wanted to give up was her father. Haee said, 'My father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I thought I should be by his side and decided to give up, but he told me to live for my dreams until the end. He was given three months to live but survived for another year. He said he was okay, but when I got the urgent call, I immediately took a flight. As soon as I arrived at Incheon Airport, I called and was told he passed away three hours ago. I was so heartbroken and felt sorry for not being able to be with him at the end. I thought that the way to honor him was to become a professor and applied with gritted teeth.'

She remarked, 'When I was told I became a professor, I wondered if I heard incorrectly. Tears flowed as I thought of my dad.' Regarding her secrets to success, she said, 'I had to stand out. There were many excellent applicants, so I decided to compete on the basis of the number of papers published, sitting down to write and publish. So far, I've published 12 pieces, and I've also signed a book contract.'

Haee noted, 'There is a lecture I created at the university, titled K-Pop and Hallyu. The response has been explosive. I also use material from 'You Quiz' in my class. There is so much good material, and I learn a lot from it as well.'

Finally, Haee expressed her future plans, stating, 'I plan to continue moving forward to become a permanent professor. I also want to reach out to viewers through music.'

[Photo] Captured from the broadcast.

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