After spending roughly two months in Korea, I cannot describe how much I have grown both personally and professionally, and I am so grateful I had this opportunity. Before I left for Korea, I had never left the country by myself. Even in the US, I was hesitant to eat out, go shopping, or visit places by myself. I was often scared to experience new things and challenge myself in new ways. However, as my time in Korea passed, my mindset completely changed. Being able to live in another country for this extended period of time is such a unique opportunity, and the last thing that I would want is to come back regretting that I did not experience all that I could manage to fit into my itinerary. I began to challenge myself to take the subway or bus to a new neighborhood every day that I had off, and find local attractions, restaurants, and cafes to fill my day. At first, I was hesitant to enjoy these new experiences, so I stuck to fast food chains that I was already familiar with and offered English kiosks, meaning I was missing out on so many amazing local spots. As I got more comfortable and developed a new sense of independence, I was confident enough to begin to enter restaurants and stores with no English menus and no foreigners in them. I am so appreciative of this growth, as it allowed me to learn about actual Korean food and culture. I am proud to be able to recognize the growth that came out of this specific challenge. When I get home, I think I will be much more confident in my ability to approach new challenges and opportunities with an open mind. I am much more comfortable handling my own feelings of uncertainty, and I am ready to involve myself in activities that I was previously too scared to do.  

Professionally, I learned even more as well. Learning to work in a team setting with the others is a skill I will be taking back to my academic work. I learned  to discuss what everyone’s strengths are and to divide the  work based on that, making sure that everyone submitted the best work possible. Learning how to present myself in a corporate office was also a great experience. I learned how to talk to my superiors and network in an international context. I became more aware of the way that I held myself, whether it be keeping my phone off my desk or becoming increasingly aware of my posture and my facial expression. Being aware of the standard set around me, encouraged me to develop better observational skills, allowing me to integrate better into the work environment. I learned so much about the difference between the Korean healthcare system and the American industry, and I have a completely new perspective to formulate strategies and opinions from. In addition, I improved on so many of my soft skills. From time management to learning how to implement feedback, being in Korea has put me in positions where I had to be adaptable and learn.

When I return to Pitt, I will have so many experiences to base my lectures on, and new insights into the value of what I am learning. For example, some of my work required me to find and compare data from different samples. I knew exactly where to find the information because of one of the epidemiology classes I took, and what to do with the information, using Stata because of the biostatistics class that I took last fall. This was the one of the first times that I was able to apply course material into something outside of class and it made me realize just how valuable every lecture really is. I believe this experience will allow me to refocus myself and remain motivated going into my last two years of undergraduate studies. 

I would like to thank everyone who made this amazing experience possible, everyone in the global experience office, along with my family and friends who supported me the whole way. In addition I am incredibly grateful to everyone at the company who welcomed me to the country and really made me feel like a part of the team. I would especially like to thank my two supervisors who took so many small actions to make me feel welcome and integrated into my office space. Again, I am so grateful to have had this amazing opportunity that allowed me to grow so much as a person and professional. This was an overwhelmingly positive experience that I will look back on for the rest of my life.