Guest Speakers Share Valuable Career Advice and Inspiring Stories
High school students had the opportunity to hear from four distinguished professionals representing diverse industries, including music, technology, business, film, and medicine. These professionals shared their life stories and career journeys as part of this year’s High School Career Inspiration Series. Each speaker offered insights into their backgrounds, education, and the personal circumstances that shaped their career paths.
The Career Inspiration Series began on October 16 with a captivating session by Daniel Lee, known professionally as Tablo, a celebrated recording artist, lyricist, composer, and record producer. As the leader and producer of the veteran Korean hip-hop group Epik High, Tablo shared how he discovered his profound love for words and his aspiration to touch people's hearts through music while still in high school. Despite his parents' initial disapproval, Tablo pursued his passion for music, completing a bachelor's degree with honors in English literature and a master's degree in creative writing in just three and a half years at Stanford University. His journey underscored the importance of following one’s passions, even in the face of risks.
On December 4, the series continued with a session featuring Robert Lee, CEO and managing director of Activision Blizzard. With over 20 years of experience, Mr. Lee has held leadership roles in corporate strategy, strategic partnerships, and business operations at renowned companies such as Bain Capital, Samsung, and Amazon. He emphasized how careers are often non-linear, illustrating through his own experiences how growth and opportunities can arise from the dips and turns along the way.
The third session, held on February 19, introduced students to Dae Hyun Song, CEO of Otherside and Chief Creative Director for Pony Entertainment. A writer, film director, and content creator with a passion for genuine storytelling, Mr. Song's career began in Los Angeles at Live Nation Entertainment. He has been recognized for his creative work, including winning the Best Commercial of the Year Award at the 2021 Korea Advertising PR Awards. Mr. Song, who co-created the web series "Migliore Club" with his wife, Victoria Vogel-Song, shared about his international educational background and his journey through the film industry.
The final session on April 22 featured Dr. Daniel Baik, an ophthalmologist and the founder of NuneHIM Eye Center. Dr. Baik’s career encompasses both medicine and engineering. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Northwestern University and initially worked at Samsung Electronics in Texas. Subsequently, he returned to Korea to attend Korea University School of Medicine. Dr. Baik advised students to set a goal rather than fixate on a dream occupation. His personal goal has been to become a "Go-to-guy," someone capable of resolving difficult problems or situations, which has significantly contributed to his success. An alumnus of YISS/ICS-Seoul Class of 2004, Dr. Baik credited his high school experience with fostering creativity, problem-solving skills, and teamwork, all of which played a crucial role in his career achievements.
Since 2008, YISS has hosted an annual career event, inviting professionals from diverse fields to share their experiences and advice with high school students. These sessions offer invaluable insights and inspiration as students begin to contemplate their future careers. The opportunity to interact with accomplished professionals provides students with a clearer understanding of various career paths and the steps needed to achieve their goals. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our guest speakers for taking the time to inspire our students in their career journeys and to our PTO Career Committee Co-chairs, Ms. Christina Ahn and Mr. Patrick Yoon, for helping support our career series.
