My parents believed that the biggest inheritance lies more in knowledge and mindset than anything else. In educating me, my dad, a successful entrepreneur with branches in multiple countries in Asia ranging from Malaysia to China, emphasized the importance of cultural awareness and acceptance of diversity. A charismatic CEO with a strong vision and leadership, he ran the family as he would run his company—with his focus on constant improvement. His views on functional organization management in smaller and bigger scale deeply affected how I view an organization’s build-up and the role of leaders.

With such a strong focus on raising global leaders in the family, it was no surprise that I received my first Chinese class for my fourteenth birthday. Ever since then, I’ve continued learning the Chinese language, making Chinese friends, and learning more about China, from cultural customs to international conflicts. Its resemblance to my mother culture, Korean, helped me embody it in a smoother manner.

Immigrating to Toronto in grade seven gave me exposure to the diverse cultural mélange in Canada. The prevalence of Chinese culture in the community assured me yet again that Chinese would be a cherished asset in the future. So, it was natural that I jumped at the opportunity to come to China over the summer through the International Internship Program at the University of Pennsylvania, eager to experience firsthand the culture that I had been learning about for so long.

My selection of Golden Bridges out of the array of companies the IIP offered owes heavily to my previous experience in the non-profit sector in Canada. Throughout my high school years, I was the youth regional chair for World Vision and headed the youth sector of the United Way of the Greater Toronto Area. After graduation, I expressed my continued interest in the sector by serving as a Marketing Intern over the summer following my freshman year.

In a way, the apparent similarities between Golden Bridges and United Way steered my decision to come to this company. Like Golden Bridges, United Way worked towards establishing a trustworthy donation process, a transparent non-profit sector and a stronger connection between different groups of people—in their case, different social classes—through campaigns and awareness events. The idea of building a bridge between two thriving countries with potential for conflict through media and networking seemed interesting to me at multiple levels: out of personal connection to the sector and out of a business student’s perspective.

My first day at Golden Bridges gave life to plenty of ideas I am excited to put forward in meetings. Amid the overwhelming amount of information I learned at the orientation meeting, I found many areas that overlap with my personal interests. The interactive atmosphere of the office and exposure to new environments and contents are highly stimulating and energizing. As a business major with a strong interest in the non-profit sector, I am really excited to contribute my opinions to the ongoing projects and share the insights I have gained from my past experience working with non-profits in North America.