Seihoon Lee

Celebrate Mason Korea's 10th Anniversary

Senior from Mason Korea’s PPP Program breaks Korean norms

Colleen Rich — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 20:02:17 +0000

Senior from Mason Korea’s PPP Program breaks Korean norms Colleen Rich Mon, 06/03/2024 - 16:02

Yoonsung Shin took a gap year after high school and worked to get a higher score on the Korean national college entrance exam. While considering his options for the next step on his educational journey, he looked at the possibility of taking his college education in the United States after his mom introduced him to Mason Korea.

Yoonsung Shin. Photo provided

“At first, I was honestly skeptical of the whole idea of studying abroad, since I had no exposure to it beforehand,” said Shin. “However, what attracted me was the fact that I could freely follow my interests without any hesitation.

Committed to learning all he could through Mason Korea, he started with something familiar, broadcasting, an interest he held since high school. He enjoyed making new friends with people in the student media, such as the large student organizations, Incheon Global Campus (IGC) Broadcasting Studio (IBS) and Asian Boss Next. However, as he started to realize that machines could replace human labor in the segments of broadcasting he enjoyed, he recognized the importance of becoming proficient in these rising automated technologies.

In response to this revelation, Shin changed his major from a broad concentration in management to a more specific concentration in management information systems (MIS) in his junior year. Although Shin thought the only skill sets that could effectively be applied to all fields were information technology (IT) and coding, he never stopped pursuing diverse experiences.

From interning at a law firm to serving as a resident advisor and helping international students as a teaching assistant learn Korean, Shin made sure that he took advantage of many varied opportunities.

As Shin nears his graduation in December 2024 on ��AV’s Fairfax Campus, he reflected on the value of the Patriot Plus Program (PPP), which requires students from Mason Korea to take a set of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses to reinforce their ability to learn in English. He said he understands why students might be hesitant in an unfamiliar cultural environment but also encourages them to break away from their comfort zone.

“Take the chance not to follow the life set by Korean social norms, but rather take responsibility to learn and experience as much as one can,” he said. “Being a Patriot has taught me that success is an equation of the freedom of choice and responsibility.”

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This student was a pioneer in management consulting at Mason Korea

Colleen Rich — Wed, 29 May 2024 16:44:38 +0000

This student was a pioneer in management consulting at Mason Korea Colleen Rich Wed, 05/29/2024 - 12:44

Throughout his time at a STEM-focused high school, Chanyoung Kim, BS Business ’24, aspired to be a scholarship student in Japan, following in the footsteps of his high school classmates. However, a rejection letter prompted him to pivot to a different cultural and language context.

Chanyoung Kim. Photo provided

“My first experience with Mason Korea was an exhilarating blend of anticipation and curiosity, intertwined with a strong awareness of the challenges ahead,” said Kim, who graduated from ��AV this May. “The transition to an English-speaking educational environment initially presented itself as a formidable challenge, particularly since I had spent a significant amount of time in Korea, where English was not my daily language.”

Despite previously being a STEM student, Kim had a keen interest in business strategies. At that time, as he did not have a strong career goal, he took a chance majoring in management, hoping that he might find a more specific area to delve into.

Later, coming out of his mandatory military service, he dove into the world of management consulting, hearing that it was a great job for those burning with curiosity. However, recognizing that management consulting was a difficult industry to break into, Kim took the initiative to get support from Mason Korea. He founded the Mason Consulting Group to create a platform for students to learn about the latest trends in consulting jobs, hone their skills in strategic thinking, and share their passion for consulting. The student group even participated in an international business case competition hosted by HSBC.

In spite of his initial trepidation about English, being a college student at a U.S. institution turned out to be an advantage as he applied for internships, as his English skills caught the eyes of a U.S.-based consulting firm’s Seoul office. He followed this experience with an internship with the Big 3 consulting firm, Bain & Company. His experience at these two firms and his involvement in mobility, blockchain, and hydrogen business projects allowed him to find his specialized interest in renewable energy and mergers and acquisitions.

“The experience of strategizing, presenting ideas, and receiving feedback in a real-world environment fostered a unique form of learning that went beyond the traditional classroom, enriching my understanding of the relevance and efficacy of business theories in addressing real-world challenges,” Kim said.

Realizing the importance of having a specialized industry focus in consulting firms, Kim started his journey in Fairfax in fall 2023, declaring a minor in renewable energy. The curriculum of the minor required an internship, which allowed him to be part of an on-campus research project that explores the possibility of installing solar panels on George Mason campuses.

To further develop his English skills, he went out of his comfort zone to participate in language exchange sessions and met with Writing Center tutors. “The initial struggles with language and adaptation were, in retrospect, a blessing in disguise,” he said. “They were not mere obstacles but opportunities that enabled me to rapidly enhance my English proficiency and adjust to new environments more efficiently.”

Looking back at his four years at George Mason and looking forward to his career, Kim hopes to continue helping other students interested in consulting to acquire meaningful experiences in the industry. He wants to help establish a management consulting association at Mason Korea to help prospective students. He hopes his experiences show other Mason Korea students an unexpected directional change in life can be a true silver lining.

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Going global as Mason Korea’s first computational and data sciences graduate

Colleen Rich — Tue, 21 May 2024 16:09:41 +0000

Going global as Mason Korea’s first computational and data sciences graduate Colleen Rich Tue, 05/21/2024 - 12:09

Traveling abroad has been part of Jimin Jeon’s life for as long as she can remember. She traveled with her mom during every school vacation, which allowed her to visit 23 countries by the time she was a college student. Being exposed to different cultures from a young age helped her develop a desire to pursue her college education abroad. That brought her to Mason Korea after 12 years of Korean public school education.

World traveler and Mason Korea grad Jimin Jeon in Washington, D.C. Photo provided

“While the thought of studying abroad was exciting, I felt burdened by the language barrier to study abroad in the U.S. right after graduating high school,” Jeon said. “Mason Korea was an alternative to ease that transition by improving my English skills in a more familiar setting in South Korea.”

Jeon was part of the first cohort in the newly established Computational and Data Sciences Department at Mason Korea. Although her frequent travels around the world prompted her to major in global affairs, she had her mind set on the world of big data since high school. Thus, after her freshman year, once the new major was opened, she made the jump to the STEM field.

Jeon found she had direct opportunities to engage in data analysis. Her favorite part of Mason Korea was the Career Development Center, which allowed students like her to be exposed to opportunities in data analytics to gain technical hands-on experiences. Her first work experience was through the center as a data science intern at a real estate AI valuation startup during her junior year.

“It was a special opportunity to see how the knowledge about programming languages I acquired in the classroom be applied in the real workforce and identify the areas that I need to continue to improve to be a more competent data scientist,” said Jeon.

Transitioning to the Fairfax Campus in the fall semester of 2023, Jeon stayed true to her goal of diversifying her experiences. Her last semester at George Mason included working as a teaching assistant for the Computational and Data Sciences Department in the College of Science, performing data cleaning for an on-campus project, and helping students practice their Korean through the language exchange program. She took advantage of the language environment so that she could build her English skills.

Jeon is now a proud graduate in computational and data sciences, one of the few who enrolled in the major in 2020. She is excited about the job opportunities she has and wants to encourage all those who have just closed their four-year journey.

“For students just like myself, who have spent their whole life in the Korean education system, going to Mason Korea alone is a challenge,” she said. “Learning about various topics at a more sophisticated level in a language that you are not familiar with was also not an easy task for me. Yet, the four-year voyage of diverse experiences and success itself shows that I can take on any challenge at any point in my life.”

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Mason Korea senior bridges her American and Korean identities through marketing

Colleen Rich — Wed, 08 May 2024 15:37:48 +0000

Mason Korea senior bridges her American and Korean identities through marketing Colleen Rich Wed, 05/08/2024 - 11:37

Lucy Hong moved to the United States when she was 10 years old. What was meant to be a three-month experience over the summer became a decade abroad in Northern Virginia, thousands of miles away from her family in South Korea.

Business major Lucy Hong. Photo provided

Having a strong interest in art from a young age, Hong chose to go to Virginia Commonwealth University to major in fashion merchandising after graduating from St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly. However, when the pandemic hit in 2020, Hong, like many international students, was asked to return to her home country. Reluctantly heading back to South Korea, she worried about how to continue her college education, knowing that Korean universities were not an option.

“It felt like starting from zero,” she said, looking back to the day she arrived in South Korea. “I felt really lonely and anxious if I could make new friends in this transition.”

Discovering Mason Korea was the answer to her fears. It provided an American college setting that she was familiar with, and having high school friends who went to George Mason for college, she was already well acquainted with the university.

She noted how it was easier to connect with friends who had similar backgrounds as she did, those who lived or studied abroad for multiple years. While it required a cultural adjustment, soon enough she also made friends who did not have a similar background, who had lived their whole lives in South Korea.

“The cultural setting that Mason Korea provided saved me from feeling lost,” she said. “I soon made lifelong friends through the community and even met back up with Mason Korea students in Fairfax.”

She also decided to move away from fashion merchandising and found a middle ground in marketing, which helped her bring her original interests to an area of UX design and expand her knowledge background in consumer trends. During her time at Mason Korea, Hong found she was able to connect with faculty members, talk in class, and get to know them at a personal level.

With support from professors and staff, she was able to win a business pitch competition for the beauty industry and launched an online clothing brand that reinterprets American fashion in Korea by using her UI/UX design and market research skills.

Now a senior, Hong is finishing her first semester at the Fairfax Campus this spring, part of a two-semester sequence in Fairfax that all Mason Korea students include in their four-year plan. Looking toward graduation in the winter, she is excited to see the future unfold and hopes to get a job in the United States.

“Mason Korea helped me see that I can keep my American identity and even bridge my Korean identity with my experience abroad,” she said. “I hope to share this unique perspective professionally through my work and the ideas it can provide.”

Mason Korea 10th Anniversary

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Costello College of Business News

From an island in Korea to a leader for climate change in D.C.

Colleen Rich — Fri, 03 May 2024 17:44:55 +0000

From an island in Korea to a leader for climate change in D.C. Colleen Rich Fri, 05/03/2024 - 13:44

For Yoonseo Cho, a young STEM student from Jeju Island, the biggest island 50 miles off the coast of South Korea, going to college in the Seoul metropolitan area, was a dream come true. Being a pandemic generation student, however, her dreams of studying at a university were cut short, as she spent three semesters back home in Jeju Island persistently taking chemical engineering and landscape architecture classes.

Yoonseo Cho did one of her internships with the Green Climate Fund in Songdo. Photo provided

While volunteering at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, she had the chance to see world leaders discussing the pressing issues of climate change and environmental policies. Her short interaction with Roland Wilson, associate professor of conflict analysis and resolution at Mason Korea, at the panels opened a new door of possibilities for her to become one of those leaders through Mason Korea.

Cho’s parents were the first to encourage her to transfer from her university to Mason Korea in Songdo, an hour away from Seoul. Their support motivated her to find a path to combine her original studies in chemical engineering and landscape architecture with global affairs. She especially saw potential career opportunities with the vaccine manufacturing facility expansion in the heart of Songdo.

Cho quickly adjusted to the American college setting. After a semester, she got involved with and became president of MK Green Patriots, a student organization that provides students with community service opportunities that promote sustainable campus life.

“In many cases, it is difficult to obtain leadership opportunities at a major Korean university since the student organizations have a longer history and rigid traditions,” she said. “While Mason Korea might be smaller in size, through my experience, I never doubted the output students created.”

Her journey in fostering climate change continued as she finished two internships before her junior year at the Fairfax Campus this year. As an assistant to the liaison officer at the Green Climate Fund, headquartered in Songdo, Yoonseo worked on various internal affairs that improved the transition for international employees to Korea. She also worked as a research intern at a green tech startup contributing to sustainable interior design solutions.

“I truly appreciated the efforts made by Mason Korea staff to produce opportunities for Mason Korea students,” she said. “As much as there is a smaller student-to-faculty ratio, there was a stronger bond, which allowed students to acquire opportunities in local firms and organizations that also represent a global audience.”

Cho is now a rising senior in ��AV’s Global Affairs Program and a greenhouse research intern for University Sustainability. She is excited to widen her scope of the world as an international student in the United States and to be at the frontline of environmental policy in Washington, D.C.

When asked what it means to be a Patriot, she said, “The intangible difference is being part of a diverse community, which not only includes students but also faculty members with different sets of values and ideas. Furthermore, the intangible is the mindset of going beyond taking classes and getting good grades; being involved in the community with a shared identity that can change the world around you.”

Mason Korea 10th Anniversary

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A U.S. college degree was a great investment for this Mason Korea student

Colleen Rich — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 12:15:44 +0000

A U.S. college degree was a great investment for this Mason Korea student Colleen Rich Mon, 04/29/2024 - 08:15

��AV accounting major Young Ho Ji grew up near Pyeongtaek, South Korea, not far from Camp Humphreys, the largest overseas U.S. military installation in the world. He attributes part of his desire for a U.S. college education to watching American officers walk by in the apartment complex every day.

Young Ho Ji. Photo provided

Even more, as a fervent researcher and investor of the stock market, Ji admired the investment bankers and traders in Hollywood movies. He also realized how much of the online information about investing, written in English, had a wider scope and depth. He recognized the value of reading and writing in English and dreamed of one day studying abroad.

While the financial hurdle to being able to study in the United States seemed too steep to climb, Ji never lost faith. After finishing his freshman year at a regional university in Korea, he worked at a construction site for seven months, six days a week, sleeping only five hours a day. This allowed him to save enough tuition money for at most five semesters.

“Every day when I wanted to give up, I asked myself if I could be satisfied with where I was as a normal Korean college student,” he said. “The hunger to work and study among the greatest in the [investing] field and industry was what kept me going.”

After spending two years of his military service studying for the English proficiency test, Ji found himself at attending George Mason in his home country. As he was eager to begin to work toward his long-waited goals and found a sense of belonging within the Mason family, Ji took advantage of all the opportunities that Mason Korea had to offer.

“Being a transfer student from a non-Seoul metropolitan area institution, I knew it was a privilege to confidently apply for internships in Seoul,” Ji said. “Internship opportunities from where I come from were nonexistent, even if you had the skills and knowledge to successfully do the job.”

Ji also engaged in every available networking opportunity, starting with connecting with Mason alumni in Korea. To help others enjoy the same sense of community he found, he encouraged other students to attend networking events and founded a student organization called the Mason Korea Investment Club (MKIC).

Not only did his initiative help him land an internship at one of the top accounting firms in Korea, but numerous students from MKIC later secured internships and jobs across different firms in the finance and accounting field as well.

After attending classes at Mason in the United States, Ji is eager to fulfill his childhood dreams as he soon returns to Korea following Spring Commencement in May with investment banking job opportunities lined up. He readily looks forward to mentoring Mason Korea students and plans to share with them the value of a U.S. college education.

“As a prospective investment banker, I can confidently state that the investment I made in my college education was beyond the worth that I expected it to be. It allowed me to see a bigger world, which is full of opportunities that are difficult to put a price tag on.”

Mason Korea opened its doors to in 2014. As part of Mason Korea’s 10th anniversary, Mason will host events in Korea and on the Fairfax Campus. This is the first in a series of stories highlighting Mason Korea students.
Learn more about Mason Korea's anniversary >>

U.S. Student? Study at Mason Korea!

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Graduation

A second chance at a college degree for this Mason Korea computer game design graduate

Colleen Rich — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 14:12:29 +0000

A second chance at a college degree for this Mason Korea computer game design graduate Colleen Rich Wed, 04/17/2024 - 10:12

Juyoung Cha was the first in her family to consider studying abroad for college. Starting in high school, she wanted to experience a different culture, specifically the United States.

Computer game design major Juyoung Cha by Mason Pond on the Fairfax Campus. Photo provided

After she faced closed doors to her fine arts college applications in Korea, her local pastor who had lived in the United States recommended that she take the community college route in the state of New York. Cha decided to study accounting, a pathway she considered to be more stable than fine arts in terms of career outcomes.

Cha spent three semesters at a community college and three semesters at the City University of New York. However, due to family financial difficulties, Cha and her sister returned home to continue their college education.

Coming back to Korea as a transfer student was a huge challenge for Cha, as Korean universities only accept transfer students who enrolled for more than two years at a single institution. With her six semesters at two institutions, she was limited in options for continuing her undergraduate education.

At the point where she was about to give up on her college education, her pastor’s wife introduced her to Kelley Chung, Mason Korea’s associate dean for admissions and government affairs, who helped Cha see that she could continue her fine arts pursuits through the field of computer game design at a U.S. institution in Korea.

“While it was not as abstract as plain fine arts and had a clear career route, the thought of building something in the digital world that cannot be constructed in the real world sounded exciting,” Cha said.

Learning computer programming, design, and game modeling was challenging for Cha. “As the days of being a college student prolonged, the goal of graduating felt farther away the more I got close to it,” she said.

Cha found that computer game design faculty members wanted to see her succeed, showing flexibility on deadlines and even offering the chance to retake classes for a better grade. Her internship supervisor at Mason Korea’s Office of Development and Strategic Partnerships, Christina Cha, was her biggest supporter when she was on the brink of dropping out of college.

“Juyoung’s diligence and willingness to learn new skills was impressive to me and to all of us in the office,” her internship supervisor said. “She was also an active member of G-nonymous, Mason Korea’s student RSO for [computer graphic design] majors, quietly yet persistently honing her skills. I’m so happy that she rose above her own doubts and decided to complete her education journey at Mason and become our alumnus!”

Now Cha is just weeks away from reaching the finish line in Fairfax—earning her BFA in computer game design. In May she plans to walk proudly across the graduation stage in EagleBank Arena along with her younger sister, Subin Cha, who is a Mason Korea student in accounting.

“Being the first five students among Mason Korea’s first computer game design cohort and one of the few female students in my major’s graduating class from Mason Korea, to me being a Patriot symbolizes endurance and patience,” said Cha. “Studying abroad in the United States and coming back to an American college through Mason were both non-traditional routes that exposed me to different challenges that allowed me to see the value of a college degree.”

U.S. Student? Study at Mason Korea!

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College of Visual and Performing Arts

Computer Game Design

Graduation

Spring Commencement

Mason Korea senior discovers his passion for peacebuilding and opera

Colleen Rich — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 18:10:55 +0000

Mason Korea senior discovers his passion for peacebuilding and opera Colleen Rich Wed, 04/10/2024 - 14:10

After several leadership camps in the United States and the U.K. during junior high, Seung Gyo Kim felt that pursuing college abroad was the best way to express his unique identity and broaden his knowledge.

Seung Gyo Kim. Photo provided

“I wanted to break away from the fixed framework of Korean success and be at a place where I can freely chase my interests,” said the ��AV undergraduate. After being introduced to the extended campus of Mason Korea through an admissions event in 2015, he realized he could still stay near his family and develop his English skills by receiving the same quality instruction in Korea.

While he was considering taking over his parents’ business after college, he enrolled in management courses at Mason Korea. However, a turning point came when Kim enlisted in the Korean Air Force military band as a singer for his mandatory service.

“After thinking about how I could integrate different fields with my passion for opera singing, I realized my devotion to creating my artwork, which would only be possible through an interdisciplinary field,” Kim said. This thought was the beginning of Kim not only changing his major to conflict analysis and resolution, but also taking advantage of Mason Korea as a platform for his career aspirations.

After taking classes on interpersonal dynamics, speech communication, and international conflicts, he realized he was interested in public diplomacy. With help from the Career Development Center at Mason Korea, he was able to secure an internship with the United Nations Office of Sustainable Development (UNOSD) and in a policy advocacy program of the World Federation of United Nations Association (WFUNA).

“I would have never imagined being able to intern at these institutions,” said Kim. “These opportunities provided by Mason Korea showed me that I could do valuable work.”

Kim brought these experiences and ideas to Mason’s Fairfax Campus, where he has been preparing for a Korean Art Song event at the 2024 Peace Week hosted by the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution in September. Through the event, he aims to share the stories and struggles of many Korean immigrants and international students by bringing Korean opera singers and the local community together. He hopes to bridge generations and share the diversity of the Korean diaspora through the event, ultimately reaching the goal of merging peacebuilding with opera singing.

“Seung Gyo epitomizes the caliber of young leaders who are indispensable in shaping our world for the better,” said Roland B. Wilson, program coordinator and term faculty member for the conflict and resolution program in Mason Korea. “Moreover, like countless other students who have graced our unique and highly sought-after program, Seung Gyo's journey underscores the importance of nurturing talent and fostering leadership among our youth."

Kim plans to graduate in December and hopes his story will inspire other students to forge their own pathways. “Mason Korea as an environment is a place for students who have not yet discovered their true passion, but have the will to pursue their unknown dreams, to be shaped by faculty, staff, and their peers,” he said.

“Mason Korea is people who were interested in who I was as an individual and were eager to give me a chance to see my worth in this world.”

U.S. Student? Study at Mason Korea!

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