The Power of One Caring Person

EdD alumna helps international students transition to college in the United States

Before becoming an assistant director of international programs at the University of Pittsburgh, Kyoungah Lee (EdD ’23) was once an international college student herself.

She remembers what it felt like to be alone in a new country. In her case, she was born and raised in South Korea and completed high school in the Philippines, before moving to Buffalo, New York, to study for her bachelor’s in business.

She recalls the rude awakening of her first college meal coming from a vending machine and the sting of seeing her American classmates visiting with their parents during family weekend while hers were far away.

“I have a high satisfaction in my job now,” Lee said. “I feel like all the disadvantages and weaknesses I had as an international student, the cultural barriers, the language barriers, they became my strength. I’m able to support international students better because of it.”

Lee enrolled in the Doctor of Education (EdD) program at the School of Education because she wanted to advance her education and go deeper in her work. Through the program, she created practitioner-focused research to improve persistence among international college students.

At Pitt’s Office of Inclusion and Belonging in the Division of Student Affairs, she oversees programming that supports international undergraduate students from pre-arrival through graduation. Additionally, she is an advisor for the Asian Student Alliance student organization.

Lee wants all international students to know they belong at Pitt. She helps design experiences that introduce them to informal mentors who are invested in their success.

“When I recall my own journey as an international student, there was always one person in my life who made me feel confident, empowered, and feel belonging,” she said.

Taking her Dissertation into the World

Lee was part of the Pitt EdD program’s higher education major. Her dissertation in practice was titled “One Caring Person: The Impact of Student-Staff Casual Interaction on International Students’ Sense of Belonging.”

Lee explored how genuine human connection—even with just one person—can foster greater belonging among international students.

She put the research into practice at Pitt by designing and implementing the One Caring Person Program, which pairs international undergraduate students with university staff mentors. The goal is to ensure that every student has at least one caring adult on campus who truly sees and supports them.

“I found that students described their mentors as emotional pillars—people they could confide in without fear or judgment. These relationships helped students navigate cultural adjustment, build confidence, and feel more connected to their university community,” Lee said.

Lee was invited to present her dissertation at several prominent conferences in the student affairs field. She spoke at the 2025 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) regional conference in Pittsburgh, the 2025 American College Personnel Association (ACPA) National Conference in Long Beach, California, and the 2024 National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE) conference in Oʻahu, Hawaii.

“I had really good feedback. There are a couple of institutions that followed up after the conference saying they wanted to implement it at their institution too,” Lee said.

Additionally, Lee was invited to represent her home country at several conferences in Korea. She was selected to participate in Korea’s Future Leaders’ Conference and attended the Global Future Generation Summit.

Turning Lemons into Lemonade

When Lee completed the defense for her dissertation in practice, the committee asked her if she’d now like to be addressed as “Dr. Lee.”

While she is proud of her family name, she wanted something more personal and memorable.

“I’ve always loved the saying ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade,’” Lee said. “It perfectly captures my journey as an international student. Living, studying, and working abroad brought many ‘lemons’ through cultural barriers, visa hurdles, and countless moments of self-doubt. But over time, I learned how to turn those into something meaningful and sweet.”

Thus, Lee chose the title “Dr. Lemon.”

She wants international college students to know that perceived weaknesses can become strengths in the future.

“The EdD degree was the tool that helped me make those lemons into lemonade,” Lee said.

Lee credits the Pitt Education faculty on her dissertation committee, Jill Perry and Maximilian Schuster, and Katie Koo from the University of Georgia for being supportive when she faced personal challenges during her time in the program. For example, she had to travel back to Korea to help with family issues, which created significant stress.

“I almost gave up, but they encouraged me to continue. I was able to finish because of their support,” Lee said.

Now Lee is able to use her EdD degree to help international students across the university.

“You don’t always need a lot of people. Sometimes you just need one person,” Lee said.