Foster Futures: Kate Jung

Kate Jung’s (BA 2018) curriculum vitae is pretty impressive. The senior from Issaquah is splitting her studies in finance and international business. Through Foster’s Certificate of International Studies in Business (CISB) program, she has studied abroad in Japan and India. She won the inaugural Accenture Student Consultant of the Year award for her work with the Consulting and Business Development Center. She has competed and won numerous case competitions at Foster, and represented the school at the Australia International Case Competition. And she has interned at Artemis Connection, Avanade and PwC, where she took 3^rd place in the firm’s national intern case competition.

Jung would give Foster much of the credit for her success. But credit is also due to her devotion to writing and the musical theater in her formative years.

“I developed a passion for performing in front of audiences—which later translated to my involvement in case competitions,” she says. “I believe musical theater set a powerful foundation for my business education. Communication and storytelling are important skills for both disciplines.”

Especially when you begin your career in consulting at PwC, as Jung will do this spring. She eventually hopes to work internationally, leading the expansion of a prominent brand. She’s also an aspiring writer (and has already published on LinkedIn as part of its Campus Editor program).

“Foster’s culture of experiential learning has taught me that I don’t have to wait to create real change,” she says, “that my insights and voice matter now.”

More about Kate: 

What has been your most impactful experience at Foster?

My involvement with the Consulting and Business Development Center has entirely transformed my college experience. My first project with the Center involved working on a student team to run a marketing campaign, and I immediately identified with its purpose to connect student consultants to local businesses in underserved communities. The culmination of our campaign was the annual Business Impact Awards banquet, where I witnessed firsthand how much the Center means to the community it serves. I sat at the table of a local business that brought original copies of plans made by student consultants years ago. From this experience, I learned that I can make an impact at a local level by applying what I learn in the classroom to assist members of my community with real-world challenges. I continued my involvement with the center, working on real consulting projects and participating in its programs, and in November of last year, I was honored at that same banquet as the inaugural Accenture Student Consultant of the Year—an award acknowledging my leadership ability and commitment to inclusion and diversity. Today, because of the Consulting and Business Development Center, I have discovered my passion for both consulting and community impact.

How are you leveraging your Foster experience to prepare for future success?

As a student with a passion for travel and multicultural collaboration, I have leveraged the Certificate of International Studies in Business (CISB) program to cultivate the skill-set required of an international business woman. Through extensive language study, study abroad in Japan, and a leadership position on the student executive board, the program has enriched my intellectual and social development by expanding my capacity to learn and interact in diverse environments. Through the CISB program, I also had the opportunity to participate in a Foreign Market Strategy Project sponsored by MOD Pizza. The experience allowed me to lead a team dedicated to evaluating the brand potential of MOD Pizza in Saudi Arabia. As I intend to do in my future career, I led my team to channel its passion for learning and multicultural collaboration into the development of a meaningful solution—ultimately winning best overall.

What about the Foster culture do you believe will particularly serve you in your career?

Although I once declared “anything but entrepreneurship” as my desired focus in Foster, I quickly learned through experiential learning experiences that I can create real impact—even as a student. By consulting for local businesses in underserved communities, representing Foster in an international case competition, and exploring female and social entrepreneurship abroad in India, I have had incredible opportunities at Foster to apply my business education far beyond the classroom. In my future career, I believe that the confidence I have developed in my own voice will empower me to share my insights more boldly, proactively tackle ambiguity in my work, and speak up about the issues I am passionate about.

Do you have a favorite class?

My favorite class at Foster was Global Business Perspectives. As part of the CISB program at Foster, I was fascinated to learn how companies translate their brands abroad, capture the value of localization, and embrace the challenges that come with operating in an increasingly globalized world. My favorite component was the final report and presentation, in which my team researched and wrote a comprehensive business report on why Tesla Motors should enter the United Arab Emirates—which actually happened two years later! As a freshman, it was my first experience researching synergies, mapping out foreign market strategy, and learning the business context of a new culture.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Outside of school and work, I enjoy graphic design, and I am trying to learn the art of digital drawing this year. I’ve also been writing ever since I learned how to read. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to become a published author of an epic fantasy novel.

 What is a “fun fact” about you?

I’ve always had too many teeth, and when I was younger, I had several surgeries to remove my extra teeth. One time, I had eight teeth taken out at once—four of them were even permanent teeth!

Foster Futures is a series highlighting some of the students who are leading the Foster School into its second century—and themselves into promising careers. The series began in the winter issue of Foster Business magazine.