New Daebak Intern: Natalie
Greetings fellow Korean culture lovers, I am Natalie! I am a current senior at Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg campus and I am studying civil engineering with a pre-med track. My well known fun fact is that I am a polymath (if you couldn’t tell by my major), so I love almost everything (to a certain extent).
Spotify was the sole entry point for me into Korean culture as a junior in high school (shoutout to all my fellow IB alumni). I love listening to different languages and I came around Korean music when I had started exploring the different playlists on the app. The 1st song I had saved was "Converse High" by BTS, which indicates how old I am. I have to say that I love K-Dramas and K-R&B the most though. I have probably watched more than a hundred K-Dramas, but I am going to be honest, I am the type that doesn’t always finish them (it is bad, I know) because a new drama comes out. Some of my favorite K-Dramas include Vagabond, Welcome to Waikiki, and The Secret Life of My Secretary. In terms of artists, I really like them all but definitely Hoody, Ailee, Eric Nam, Junny, ATEEZ, NCT, Stray Kids, Taemin, DPR, MCND, and Sunmi are my top favorites. I also love listening to underground artists like Day6, SAAY, The Rose, 3YE, A.C.E, and Sultan of the Disco. Lastly, I forgot to add that I love Korean foods too like tteokbokki, bibimbap, and Korean fried chicken.
Korean culture has had a tremendous effect on my life because it has influenced everything in my life from the friends I have, the words I say, to the television shows I watch. This made me more curious about other cultures, and in return I learned more about the cultures my friends are from. I also loveeeee Chinese dramas, which has gotten me into watching a lot of documentaries about the country along with others. Growing up, I was always surrounded by different cultures and actually learning about the different culture norms is really interesting.
I had immediately knew I wanted to apply for this startup out of all the others at UC Berekely because it directly addressed an essential part of my being, which consists of Korean culture. The companies I have worked for before were always based in America, and I wanted to have the experience of a business based outside of the United States for once to expand my global mindset. I look forward to connecting with new people and building a sense of community within the Daebak Community. Learning in any way and form is one of my passions and I deeply enjoy digging into the innovative and creative side of my brain that I am unable to expand in school.
