Wine on Wednesday February 2016

Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed for
the first issue of <strong>Wine</strong> on Wednesday! Why
don’t we start by you telling our readers a
little about yourself and what you do.
It’s my pleasure! I work as a regional admissions
manager for Laureate International Universities
which is a network of 80 different universities
across the globe and based in Baltimore,
Maryland. In my current role, I represent five
universities within the arts and design education
vertical of the company that have campuses in
Italy, New Zealand and the United States while
conducting marketing campaigns and other
market development initiatives in Korea.
“Try everything
at least once
before you die.”
I believe in the motto “try everything at least
once before you die.” As a reflection of this,
prior to holding my current position, I dipped
my toes into various business sectors including
symphony orchestra management, journalism,
broadcasting, tourism sales promotions before
selecting education, All these experiences were
valuable in that I am able to incorporate in my
day-to-day work now.
I also appear as a regular guest on a radio
program on TBSeFM called The Classical
Collection and write real time economic news
headlines and blurbs for SNL Financial, a Hong
Kong-based finance intelligence and media
company. In fact, I trained professionally as a
classical pianist and am still a big enthusiast of
music even though I have stopped pursuing this
field professionally. I also love running and
playing golf.
What do you like most about your work?
I get to manage my own schedule. Since the
nature of my job requires quite a bit of travel
within Korea or to the university campuses, I am
able to work from a ‘remote office’ which means
I can basically work from anywhere. My biggest
challenge, however, is that I am solely
responsible for our business results. To be
honest, though, I find this more thrilling than
daunting in that, through the given setup of my
job, I can come up with my own initiatives and
execution plans and see them actually come to
life.
What changes are you expecting in your
life in 2016?
Honestly, not much because the New Year will
just be an extension of what I did in 2015,
namely work, learn, network, and enjoy all the
fine things life can offer. I believe that focusing
on daily goals and achievements help sustain my
motivation levels. I try to invest in learning,
especially new languages. In fact, I’ve been
studying Mandarin since August and can’t wait
to speak the language fluently. It is too soon to
say yet, but I may be able to tap into new
markets within China or expand the scope of my
job. WoW
Cathy on Networking
There is always something to take
away from any conversation, so be
open-minded and ready to listen.
When you mix networking with
great wine and live music, you will
naturally be able to shake off any
nervousness, so just enjoy yourself !
Cathy Hwang can be contacted by email at
cathy.hwang@laureatedesign.com.
21 <strong>Wine</strong> on Wednesday February 2016