Meet Georgetown’s MBA Class of 2018

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Jiyoung (Jeannie) Goo

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: A person who wants to be a “forever child” who follows her heart and instincts

Hometown: Daegu, South Korea

Undergraduate School and Major: Sogang University, Business Administration

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

  • Link Korean (LK): Project Manager
  • O’Square: Chief Strategy Officer
  • Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME): Associate in Procurement Division

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I successfully turned a college-level planning project, “Livelihood support for North Korean Defectors,” sponsored by a corporation, into a business. The project – which supported North Korean defectors in their search for employment – comprised nine team members with different goals and objectives, including North Korean residents, retired soldiers, and students. The diversity of the group made it important that we operate as one team. I put effort into creating an amicable atmosphere. Listening to each member’s stories enabled me to identify their interests and characteristics. Then I assumed the role of a messenger transferring their opinions and arranging casual group meetings. My facilitation and motivation built a good atmosphere in which bold goals could be accepted and the desires to fulfill them increased. This project was a significant step forward toward my life goal of being a social entrepreneur.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants?  Thoughts like ‘You are not good enough’ or ‘You are not as qualified as others’ may pop up while writing your essay. Composing your own life story can be challenging especially when you have regrets, which I assume to a certain degree everyone does. When this kind of painful moment comes, my suggestion is to start writing the ‘what you want to be’ part first. There is a past, present, and future in your story just as in your life. Imagine yourself becoming a part of your grand dream in your future and write about it. Then, the ‘what you are now’ and ‘who you were in the past’ portions will be taken care of by the very person who you will be in your imaginative future.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? There are several reasons I chose Georgetown University, including its position as a top Jesuit school and its emphasis on a global mindset. What always determines my personal and career decisions is whether a choice I make will contribute to others and, more broadly, to the world and its societal progress. I learned that Georgetown University and the McDonough School of Business were both actively engaged in creating shared values and positive impact. The curriculum is designed to cultivate a leader who cares about business fundamentals, possesses an ethical barometer, and above all, who cares for the society rather than just him or herself.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My life goal is to contribute to solving universal social issues such as hunger, environment, and health. So far, these issues have been mostly dealt with in the public sector or non-governmental/nonprofit areas. I believe another solution lies in a new approach that combines business perspectives on these issues. Thus, my goal is to make social impact through business and to create “shared values,” which would not only satisfy social needs but also add economic value. My dream is eventually to become a social entrepreneur like Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of Acumen, which raises charitable net donations to invest in companies, leaders, and ideas that are tackling world poverty.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? She has a big heart. She knows what she wants. She lives freely.

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