I had the opportunity to go to South Korea for an internship through Michigan State University! I worked for a company called Grip - a live shopping platform where I had to find unique Korean products to sell to the United States. They had a Korean, Japan, and United States app. I worked for the United States app.

During my time there, I played a huge role and was a representative for America. I used my knowledge on business, fashion, marketing, social issues etc. that I learned in life and throughout being at MSU to show this company what I think Americans would enjoy buying from Korea. My tasks were to make presentations, give reports on these products and I also filmed a commercial and made a Korean business plan from scratch!

For my testimonial, I wanted to answer the question of “How did your experience abroad affect you on a personal level?” Just because I want to express how grateful I am, because it changed my life. Even though I can’t put all that I learned in a few pages, I would love to share what I can! Throughout my time in South Korea, I had the absolute pleasure to get to know myself more.

Starting with taking the leap by flying across the country for the first time! It was very nerve-wracking at first but 30 hours later, I landed safely. I truly let myself be out of my comfort zone now, I learned I love traveling! I made connections with over 60+ friends from all over the world. I also flew to Turkey, Thailand, and Japan while I had free time.

My internship experience taught me so much about myself and what I can accomplish. With a fast-paced work culture, like South Korea! I learned how to plan my whole workday and carry that out by managing my time better and honestly, I was terrible at time management but while I had to catch flights on time, turn in reports and commute an hour and 10 minutes. I definitely had time to work on it! I have gotten so much better and can successfully multitask. I also learned how to communicate very professionally and communicate what I need in the workplace.

I truly feel my internship led me in a path where I’m more confident to choose a career field and now I think I want to pursue being a creative director.

Name: Marissa Carr
Status: Junior
Major: Apparel Textile Design
Hometown: Flint, Michigan
Program: Internships in Seoul, South Korea