Wonji Seo

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

“Explorer at heart — driven to discover, build, and embrace new challenges and opportunities.”

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Fun Fact About Yourself: I logged tasting notes for over 650 wines using the Vivino app!

Undergraduate School and Major: Seoul National University, Double major in Fashion & Textiles and Business Administration

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Rapportlabs, Product Manager

Michigan Ross is best known for experiential learning programming like MAP, Living Business Leadership Experience, and the Leadership Crisis Challenge. What experiential program interests you the most? I’m the most interested in MAP because it allows me to work on a real business case with an external company in an immersive setting. I’m excited not just for the chance to apply classroom concepts to solve a complex, unstructured problem, but also the opportunity to do so in various locations across the U.S. and globally, adapting to different business environments and cultural contexts.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Michigan Ross’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Aside from my classmates, the key element of Ross’s MBA program that led me toward the school is the Tauber Institute for Global Operations. I love working with people who bring engineering and technical expertise, and Tauber’s structure – which is based on pairing MBAs with engineering and supply chain students to solve complex, real-world challenges – excites me. Having built products in the digital space, I’m eager to extend my experience into the physical world of operations and tangible problem-solving. For me, Tauber is the perfect opportunity to collaborate across disciplines, build something practical, and see the immediate impact of our work.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at Michigan Ross? The activity that excites me most at Michigan Ross has to be experiencing a football game at the Big House. Since I’ve just begun living in the U.S., I’m curious to see the passion surrounding college football, and I look forward to being a part of that community spirit. Beyond football, I’m also excited about the opportunity to enjoy the world-class athletic facilities at Michigan and explore different sports — with playing and watching — as a way to stay active and connect with classmates outside the classroom.

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2027? Why? A unique quality I bring is my entrepreneurial drive and comfort with risk-taking. Before Ross, I worked in an e-commerce startup and founded my own startup as an undergraduate. These experiences taught me to thrive in uncertain environments and helped me create something new from scratch. I enjoy testing bold ideas, learning quickly from failures, and pushing projects forward when the path is not clear.

Practically, I also love experimenting with emerging AI tools and sharing them with others — whether it’s managing timelines, streamlining research, or improving collaboration. I believe that this combination of entrepreneurial spirit and hands-on curiosity with new technologies will enable me to contribute to Ross. I envision myself helping classmates take risks with confidence, while also showing them how to harness cutting-edge tools to for smarter work.

When you think of the University of Michigan, what is the first word that comes to mind? Why? The first word that comes to mind is “collaborative.” At Michigan, I feel a genuine spirit of “Go Blue” — people are not only proud of being part of the community but are also always willing to help each other. Whether it’s alumni offering career advice or peers supporting one another through challenges, the culture is built on generosity and teamwork. That collaborative energy is what excites me most about joining Ross.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment has been launching and scaling an AI-driven advertising product as a product manager at a commerce startup in Seoul. I led a cross-functional team of over seven members towards bringing the product from concept to launch, ultimately generating $3M in annual revenue. Seeing something that I built directly impacting the company’s financial statement was incredibly rewarding. Beyond the numbers, this experience was meaningful because it pushed me to persuade diverse stakeholders, lead through ambiguity, and demonstrate how bold innovation can transform monetization.

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