Junior Business Major Wins Second Place in EY Korea’s University Business Plan Competition

photoSeihoon Lee, a junior business major at Mason Korea, recently won second place at a university business plan competition called “Growth to Professional” run by Ernst & Young (EY) Korea and Junior Achievement (JA) Korea.

For two weeks, Lee focused intently on designing a business with four other team members composed of business and econ students from domestic and foreign universities. Their next-level online teamwork paid off. After successfully pitching a business plan to EY consultants, the team placed second among ten teams, resulting in a hard-earned 600,000 KRW award.

One of the biggest advantages for contestants was the chance to be mentored by current EY Korea consultants who led workshops designed to improve business thinking skills. “Professional certifications and academic studies are important, but, on top of that, the future requires us to be innovative and creative thinkers,” said Lee. “Competitions like this allows students to pitch an idea, be a cooperative team member, and identify societal needs.”

While Lee is actively involved in various aspects of academic life at Mason Korea, he was specifically looking for business-related opportunities when he stumbled upon this competition on Facebook. He is currently a student fellow at the Center for Security Policy Studies (CSPS)-Korea, an executive board member of the school newspaper, The Voice, and a writing and communications tutor at the Academic Resource Center. However, he also wanted to challenge himself as a business student. “This program stood out to me because not only would I get to meet talented Korean college students, but I would also be able to network with EY consultants and even get their advice,” he said. “This was a gamechanger compared to other purely student-based competitions since professional guidance was involved.”  

Lee also recognizes the importance of networking, especially as a Korean student at an American university. “We are lucky to be in a global learning environment at Mason Korea, but pushing yourself to interact with people outside of your comfort zone and meeting different professionals in your field will undoubtedly enhance your experience at Mason Korea,” he said, adding that he would highly recommend this competition to fellow Mason Korea students.

photo