Singer Haee's Journey to Becoming a University Professor After 161 Rejections

On June 4, singer Haee appeared on tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block,' revealing that she faced 161 rejections before becoming a professor at a U.S. university. Haee, known for her hit song 'Je t'aime' 25 years ago, is currently a professor in the English Literature Department at a state university in the U.S. Her sister, Soy from the group TitiMa, was present to support her during the show.

Haee comes from a family of musicians; her husband is Jo Gyu-chan, her brother-in-law is Jo Gyu-man, known for the song 'I'll Give It All,' and her cousin is singer Paul Kim. Regarding her husband, Haee mentioned, "He is currently working on an album and is also the head of the department at Kyung Hee Cyber University." She added that Jo Gyu-man is still actively working on his music.

In 2010, Haee moved to the U.S. with her husband to study. She explained, "As a musical actress, I felt the need to understand and study this space to grow as a performer." Despite having learned English from a young age, she struggled with reading academic texts, often taking 3 to 4 hours to read a single page. Balancing her studies and parenting was incredibly challenging during that time.

After returning to Korea and earning her Ph.D. in English Literature from Yonsei University, Haee applied for a postdoctoral position at the University of Michigan and was accepted. She shared that her desire to become a professor stemmed from wanting to create a consistent environment for research and to share knowledge with students.

After 161 applications over three years, she finally succeeded on her 162nd attempt. "There were many times I wanted to give up. I thought I would get used to the rejections, but it only became harder. Initially, I was filled with confidence and hope, but after numerous rejections, it was tough not knowing what went wrong. The process of enduring was difficult," she confessed.

The person who motivated her during her lowest moments was her father, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Haee recounted, "When I thought about giving up to be by my father's side, he encouraged me to pursue my dreams. He was given three months to live but survived for another year. I rushed back when I received an urgent call, only to find out he had passed away three hours earlier. I felt immense sorrow for not being there at the end. I believed that becoming a professor was a way to honor him, so I persevered."

When she learned she had become a professor, she initially thought she had misheard and was moved to tears, remembering her father. To stand out among many excellent candidates, she focused on publishing papers, resulting in 12 publications and a book contract.

Haee also created a unique course at her university titled 'K-Pop and Hallyu,' which has received an enthusiastic response. She uses materials from 'You Quiz' in her classes, finding them to be incredibly valuable resources.

Looking ahead, Haee expressed her ambition to continue her journey toward becoming a tenured professor while also wanting to connect with audiences through her music.