Hannah Reynolds 鈥�17 Gains Global Perspective Through Internship Experience In Korea
Do you think it would be difficult to study abroad and complete an internship? It can be done! Hannah, who's majoring in East Asian Studies and Business Management at Wittenberg, is now studying in Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea, while also gaining important professional experience as an intern.
鈥淭here is no Korean department or class in Wittenberg, how did you get this opportunity?鈥�
鈥淲e do have a connection with ISEP (International Student Exchange Program) in the international office. I just talked to the ladies in the office to see if I can find a way to come to Korea. They were so helpful in the application process and they were very good at helping me.鈥�
鈥淲hat are you learning in Korea?鈥�
鈥淟ast semester, I studied the Korean language for 20 hours a week, which was a really intensive Korean class. I also took business and some Korean literature classes that I really loved.鈥�
鈥淗ave you had any struggles?鈥�
鈥淎h, so many! In the U.S., I look like a lot of other people around me and I never feel like I need to be really conscious of my own presence. However, in Korea, I can鈥檛 hide anywhere. I am different from everybody and I have felt much more conscious of everything that I do. It makes me more polite, kind and sensitive to cultural things because if I鈥檓 not, I鈥檇 be reflecting a bad image of international people in general. I don鈥檛 think that is a bad thing but it鈥檚 good to know the impact you have on other people.鈥�
鈥淗ow have you grown or adjusted since you first arrived in Korea? Do you feel more comfortable?鈥�
鈥淥h yeah. I鈥檝e gotten better at the language so I can interact more easily now. When I first got here, although I knew basic stuffs, I was afraid to just order food, but now I just do it. I鈥檝e gotten accustomed to the culture in a way that it comes naturally now. When I came back to the U.S for Christmas, I was about to bow to a total stranger in a train station in Chicago! The culture comes very naturally just like that.鈥�
鈥淒o you think studying in Korea can be a good resource for your future job?鈥�
鈥淵eah for sure. I鈥檓 definitely learning things in the classroom that are helpful, but it鈥檚 even better to get them directly from Korean professors or friends. As soon as I leave class, I get to see the concepts applied in people around me. So, I had a class that was about cultural and ethnic diversity within Korea and I learned about Gyopo, which is like a person who left Korea, moved abroad, and came back to Korea. Because of their background, they have an interesting relationship and cultural division with Koreans who never left Korea. You can learn about it in class as much as you want, but as soon as you leave the class, I actually get to eat at restaurant which was run by Gyopo so I got to talk to them and ask them about personal experiences. What I want to say from this experience is, in addition to the awesome education at school, I can also get to see everything I learn about Korea, which is so difficult to find anywhere else.鈥�
鈥淗ave you had any experiences that have prepared you for studying in Korea?鈥�
鈥淚 got to intern at a human resources department at a technology company in Michigan, called Dematic. I worked specifically in Global Talent Management there, so I could use my language skills every single day like sending e-mails in Chinese and Spanish. I also worked with people from 25 different countries. It was a good experience to work in an international team, and that is what I want to do in the future!鈥�
鈥淪o, how do you think your experiences in Korea your previous internship will help you in the future?鈥�
鈥淚n terms of getting a job, it definitely helps because I have a lot of language experiences now. That is a big impact on jobs for sure. Especially in the internship, my employers and co-workers were very happy to have someone who can speak at least a little bit although it鈥檚 not required. I think it was because of the image of American companies that people from other countries have. For example, they might feel we just think about ourselves and we鈥檙e expecting them to always fit us. However, just sending an email in their language not our native language can show that we really care about them. I think that鈥檚 very helpful and could be partially why they hired me. Also, an experience of living abroad can show that I鈥檓 very flexible. Especially if I want to go into international business type jobs, just being aware of different cultures and knowing slight differences of cultures can be vital.鈥�
鈥淒o you have any advice for other students thinking of studying abroad?鈥�
鈥淚 think I would say - Take every opportunity that is presented to you even though you are in a small school and a small town! There鈥檚 so much opportunity both inside and outside of campus that you can use to help your experience or to follow an interest that you want to learn more about. There鈥檚 so many opportunities around you, but if there aren鈥檛, just make one!鈥�