Yul Kwon: Sexiest Man Alive

On February 2, 2009 the Asian Pacific American Student Union (APASU) held an event called "War of the Races: Survivor." Students were in for a treat with Yul Kwon as the guest speaker.

Yul Kwon's speech was more of a conversation with the audience. He stated at the beginning of the event to "feel free to ask any questions." Kwon had great words of wisdom; it was fascinating to hear about his experience on Survivor. Not only did he speak about his life-changing experience, but he also spoke about his career and had great advice for the students in the audience.

I felt that Yul's advice was heart-warming because it came from his own personal experiences and being that he is Korean-American I could relate to him. He spoke about growing up in the U.S. being accustomed to his Korean culture and how he realized that he needed to change in order to climb the corporate ladder. I was amazed at how open Yul was to the crowd, he didn't hesitate to answer any questions. He is one of the most down-to-earth people I have ever met. I was expecting a typical Asian guy; very straight-edge, business oriented and unaffectionate, but he proved me wrong.

Yul is the COMPLETE opposite of the typical Asian-American male, which is why he is a great role model for young teens. It is clear that in our society today we don't have many Asian-American role models in the media. Although our culture is diversifying, we are still faced with stereotypes and common misconceptions, which is why they need to be broken. Yul's main focus is to break stereotypes in the media and to break through the "glass ceiling" in the corporate world; two things I am strongly passionate about. He is one of the people that give me motivation and keep me inspired. One day in the near future, I hope to be a life-changing leader and role model for kids and teens in the Asian-American community.

This ties back to my whole purpose of this blog, I want people to see how much of an impact student organizations can have on your life. Yul spoke about the different clubs and orgs. that he was involved with when he was in school and look at him now! Life's about networking and personal relationships with peers and colleagues, so go out and venture!