Originally from Suwon, South Korea, Jungyeob Kim (or JY to his friends) has found a home in West Texas.
“Some friends told me that ASU is a good place to do an exchange student program,” he said, “because of the great facilities, nice people and safe environment.”
“…the kind friends, professors and staff at ASU make me feel at home.”
When he arrived in San Angelo, JY first noticed the clear, blue sky and the lack of skyscrapers, much different from his hometown. But although there are also some language and culture differences, he is quickly adjusting to ASU campus life.
“In my home country, we usually take off our shoes before we enter a room,” JY said. “However, after adjusting to this change, I’m more comfortable. The tipping is the hardest part of this culture. We don’t have a tipping system at home, so it’s unfamiliar for me to have to calculate a tip at the end of a service. But the kind friends, professors and staff at ASU make me feel at home. Plus, Texan Residence Hall is very cozy and comfortable. My roommate and I feel like brothers.”
“The Korean Student Association is dedicated to helping Korean students with a smooth transition to campus life,” he added. “They have events like K-Pop concerts and fun activities on game day. I am enjoying my time so much more at ASU because of these tailored events.”
Although attracted to the world of logistics and production, business management was not JY’s first choice for a major. He originally wanted to be an airline pilot, but his eyesight issues force him to wear glasses, and federal aviation regulations require pilots to have 20/20 vision or better. After this realization, he started researching air logistics.
“I was impressed that logistics is an important area for company production and even for our daily lives,” JY said. “The world needs necessary supplies in the right place at the right time. It’s like our body delivering oxygen and vitamins to the right places.”
Though not scheduled to graduate until 2024, JY is already on his way to contributing to the effectiveness of the world’s supply chain. Thanks to a class taught by Dr. Raj Kamalapur in the Department of Management and Marketing, JY has earned his Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM) credential, an international certification for new production and inventory management.
“In Dr. Kamalapur’s Production and Operation Management class, I learned a lot about operation processes and the production environment,” JY said. “The concepts this professor taught became the cornerstone for studying manufacturing planning and control demand in CPIM. We also practiced a lot of calculations in this class that I utilized for problems on the CPIM exam.”
“JY is a hard-working and very motivated student who wants to succeed in his education and in his career,” Dr. Kamalapur said. “Even though English is not his first language, he makes significant effort and regularly contributes during the class discussions. I have been teaching at ASU for many years, and as far as I know, he is the only student who has completed the CPIM certification, which is not easy to complete as it takes several weeks of preparation.”
Outside the classroom, Dr. Kamalapur has also helped JY with his confidence and mentality.
“He told me, ‘Don’t be afraid of mistakes or to fail,’” JY said. “Trust yourself and keep pushing yourself forward.”
