Support for Korean Youth Aging Out of Care

Last summer, thanks to your help, JinDong had the summer of a lifetime studying English at Boston University and traveling around the U.S. After growing up in an orphanage and studying hard to earn entry into Pusan National University's competitive business administration major, JinDong took a year off of college to improve his English ability and gain a broader perspective. This year, as we reported earlier, JinDong returned to finish his senior year in college, and he plans to graduate next March.

JinDong spent much of his spring applying for highly coveted summer internships at major companies like Hyundai, SK Telecom and Samsung. We're thrilled to report that JinDong was hired as an intern at Samsung Card, Korea's largest credit card company, which is majority owned by Samsung Electronics.

The volunteer KKOOM Board of Directors recently got to catch up with JinDong over Skype, shortly after his internship began earlier this month. He had just completed a week of orientation at the company headquarters in Seoul and was getting ready for his first day in the marketing department, where he'll spend about 6 weeks working and learning with 8 other interns. JinDong told us that he was the only intern selected from outside of the Seoul area. The other interns were seniors at prestigious colleges and universities in Seoul, and he seemed a bit in awe of his selection as an intern. 

In addition to a salary for his summer work, Samsung Card also provided JinDong with lodging at a nearby business hotel in Seoul, and he also gets to have meals in the company cafeteria (where he says the food is "very delicious"). Thanks to your support, KKOOM was able to provide JinDong with an additional stipend (approximately $500 USD) prior to the start of his internship to help him offset travel expenses and buy clothes (business casual is the dress code), a work backpack and other necessities.

JinDong told us that about half of the interns in his cohort will be given a job offer later in November, and his goal is to be able to get an offer. During the course of the summer, he says, "I want to ask many things about working in the company, working process and how they work." We have no doubt that he will work very hard, as is his nature. Finally, JinDong said, "I want to thank all of KKOOM's donors for their support of me. I hope to be able to give back to other children who grew up like I did once I get a job."

Links:

• KKOOM