Ivy Tech business student translates for global manufacturer

BLOOMINGTON – Jaewan Hong is a full-time international student from South Korea and current student of Ivy Tech Community College’s Bloomington campus. Hong is working toward his associate degree in business administration and was offered a full-time sales and translation job following his internship at Permawick, a global manufacturing company with a location in Columbus, Indiana.

Hong began an internship in the sales department at Permawick in June 2016 and was offered full-time employment in January 2017. Hong accepted part-time employment because he is enrolled in 12 credit hours at Ivy Tech. He plans to work full-time after he graduates in summer 2017.

“This was my first internship,” said Hong, whose work primarily focuses on the Permawick product, ThermoPlastic Urethane (TPU) film. “At Permawick I act as a liaison between the U.S. and Korean companies and provide product advice. I also give advice to Permawick about products from Korea and Korean culture when it is relevant to the company.”

Hong explained that he not only translates, but counsels about cultural differences.

While Hong was in the Intensive English Program at Indiana University, a friend suggested he enroll at Ivy Tech to take college classes in English, to help him gain a better mastery of the language.

“My friend thought it would be better if I take college classes in English rather than just English classes,” said Hong. “In addition to my friend’s recommendation, I have had an interest in business since high school. Therefore, I chose to study business administration.”

Hong plans to complete his degree in order to advance in his career.

Obtaining a degree should help me to stay in the USA and continue to work at Permawick,” said Hong. “My goal is to be hired by Permawick and to increase my duties in the company.”

Specifically, Hong said he hopes for a leadership role in Permawick’s Asian market.

Hong credited Ivy Tech faculty and staff with helping him gain his internship at Permawick.

“Knowledge that I have learned at Ivy Tech helps me to learn specific business terms and to understand business culture, especially HR courses and accounting classes,” he said. “Taking classes and doing assignments gave me a lot of chances to learn and practice real English. I have gained a lot of help from Ivy Tech, because the school gave me the chance to work at Permawick and a lot of support from faculty and staff.”

Information about the business administration associate degree can be found at https://www.ivytech.edu/business-admin/. Information for international students can be found at https://www.ivytech.edu/international-students/.