She Pretends to be a Student, Longing for Her High School Days with Nostalgia.

Hyejeong Shin was 16 when she left her native South Korea to come to the United States. Once arrived in New Jersey, the teenager joined a private boarding school. The girl loved this experience so much that she wanted to relive it years later. Last January, Hyejeong Shin indeed managed to integrate the high school of New Brunswick at the age of 29, thanks to a false birth certificate, says ABC 7.

The new student did not stay long in the establishment, but she was still able to take a few lessons. During the four short days she spent in high school, the South Korean spent most of her time in the offices of guidance counselors who, suspicious, tried to obtain more information about her. Hyejeong Shin still managed to befriend some high school students, whom she continued to communicate with after being unmasked.

“At no time was a student in danger”

The actions of the young woman have caused concern among students and angered their parents. “We don’t feel safe and no one wants to listen to us,” high school student Ethan Calderon said at a meeting. “Our children are in school and we are sending them there hoping and praying that they will be safe there. But this is not the case,” lamented Yaritza Arroyo, an outraged mother. Indicted by a grand jury for providing a false government document, the young woman pleaded not guilty on Monday.

In court, the lawyer for the South Korean said that his client had no bad intentions and that she just wanted to “find an environment of which she keeps good memories”. Me Darren Gelber added that Hyejeong Shin felt lonely and that she wanted to surround herself with friends and recreate the atmosphere she had known during her experience in boarding school. “At no time was a person or a student in danger and this whole case is more about a woman who wanted to return to a safe place,” he pleaded.

Hyejeong Shin hopes to be able to reach an agreement with the prosecutor, which would save him a prison sentence. She then plans to return to South Korea, after spending 13 years in the United States.

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