WSF Pop-up Portraits: April 13, 2017
Our Westmont and Gachon students delight in their daily cross-cultural exchanges. The occasional, inevitable misunderstanding often leads to warm-hearted laughter once students acknowledge the misinterpretation and take cultural differences into account. Both Gachon and Westmont students would agree that sharing life together has been a major highlight of their semester.
Our Spring ‘17 “pop-up portraits” continue with this post, which features four more of our Gachon University students:
Brian, Wayne, Philip, and Harry
Photo credit, Jordan Bishop
Brian works as a marketer for Not For Sale, an organization that provides educational programs and employment opportunities for people who have been trafficked.
In addition to research and marketing, Brian attends conferences, contributes his ideas, and assists the organization in finding partners and donors.
Brian has also created flyers and other Public Relations materials:
I feel good when my work is used for the company's business. And I am proud when my ideas become the company's next business model.
What has Brian most enjoyed about living and working in San Francisco?
San Francisco is a place where you can meet many people. At a café, you can meet someone you do not know for the first time and talk for hours. This is a culture that respects the unique and diverse personality.
Brian also appreciates how “the city encourages people to ride bicycles” by providing bike lanes throughout the city.
Along with his Gachon classmates, Brian values the experience of attending “Meet-ups” with others in the city who share common interests:
If you want to quickly get to know and socialize with San Francisco and American culture, I recommend finding Meet-Ups.
Yet a significant question keeps coming up for Brian:
Why are there so many people begging in the most expensive land in the United States?
Photo credit, Jordan Bishop
Philip works with Just Business, a business investing in social change.
At Just Business, Philip networks with Korean start-up companies in San Francisco and also investigates new business models:
It’s exciting to network with a successful Korean entrepreneur in San Francisco and to enlarge my insights about IT business.
Reflecting on differences between working here and at home in Korea, Philip says:
San Francisco has a free atmosphere compared with a Korean Company.
In addition, racial diversity in the workplace is different from Korea.
As we are mostly only one race, diversity is not common to me.
What has been most fun for Philip this semester?
I will never forget my skydiving experience. It was really awesome.
Photo credit, Jordan Bishop
Wayne works with Outdoorsie, an organization that connects people to outdoor activities in the Bay Area.
At Outdoorsie, Wayne primarily helps with “Consumer Relationship Management.” He finds new customers and is “constantly striving to maintain a good relationship between our customers and our company.”
Wayne appreciates the responsibility he has been given at this flexible start-up, and he feels he’s been able to make a contribution:
Because it is a small start-up, one role is very important and it affects everything else.
Although he is still learning, Wayne confidently says:
I can gain trust just by showing my effort.
What has Wayne most enjoyed about his semester in San Francisco?
I like the weather. People are friendly. Best of all, the peaceful atmosphere. This is something that is difficult to explain.
Photo credit, Jordan Bishop
Harry works at Linden & Company, a web design and consulting company.
At L&C, Harry is “primarily responsible for providing creative design,” and he also helps with marketing.
A highlight for Harry has been learning how to create his own webpage.
It is a rewarding and interesting experience because it is a realization of my own ability.
Harry desires to learn how to do many things very well. He’s happy that “web design is one of them.”
I am confident that the ability to create my own homepage will be of great help to me.
By observing the life of the start-up over the past four months, Harry has been learning what he might apply when he creates his own company:
Since I was young, my dream was to be a CEO.
Harry also appreciates our cross-cultural community here in San Francisco:
I am happy to live with good people in such a good place.
We are grateful to be traveling with such “good people” from Korea and all across the U.S. this semester!
