Describe yourself in three words or phrases.
Ambitious; determined; passionate.
I have some big ambitions for The Evaluation Company (TEC), my colleagues, and myself personally within the context of the business. But frankly, ambition without action is a pipe dream. And action is really driven by determination.
I’ve always been very determined by my entire life, especially related to things I care deeply about, which is where the passion comes in. I’m passionate about the industry I work in, the company I’m building, the colleagues I work with, and the professionals I meet along the way.
What was your first role in international education?
I didn’t always have ambitions of running a credential or transcript evaluation business. In fact, the route I took to get here was somewhat circuitous.
When I finished college, I was accepted to a PhD program at the London School of Economics. I had an intellectual and academic interest in economics. I took a gap year before doing that program and ultimately ended up pursuing a role in private equity and turning down the opportunity in London.
I was picked up about 10 years ago by the Morningside Group, which is the parent company of TEC. When I first heard of the group, I never thought I’d be running the company a decade later. But I’d be lying if I said the thought didn’t cross my mind.
To what extent has your background informed the work you do today in international education?
I’m the product of international education, so to speak. My mother is from Korea and moved to the [US] east coast, and met my father, who was getting his PhD at Yale. And I was born at Yale University Hospital. So, I have a personal perspective on multiculturalism in general, but also specifically related to different approaches to education, practices, and collaborations between the East and the West.
I think this makes me more compelling as a leader in a credential and transcript evaluation company. In my early life, I didn’t appreciate importance of the cultural aspects of my upbringing in the same way I do now, but the diversity of this background and of my formative experiences makes me well-suited for this role.
Looking forward to the future of international education, and higher education in general, what are some trends you predict we might see?
I think the future of education is going to be much less degree-centric and much more course- and skill-based. Many universities offer degrees that cost students hundreds of thousands of dollars. But what are they really paying for? Very little of that tuition actually goes to the instructors themselves. And student debt in the US is currently sitting at $1.7 trillion. So students need to take coursework and programs that increase their value, and not solely consider paths that leave them in the shackles of debt.
I’m passionate about the future of education, and I think the discrepancy between what universities offer and what employers demand, that gap between the supply and demand curve, is going to force universities to change how they offer courses and degrees. And we’re already seeing it in the proliferation of micro-credentialing and certificates related to skills that have a clear value proposition in the labour market.
I think it’s a fascinating time to be a transcript evaluation business because we are actually at the forefront of what the value of someone’s education means. As a result, we’re going to be very well suited to accommodate the shift that’s going to happen in the coming years. And I believe there’s going to be an opportunity for businesses to play a much larger role in the process, with HR departments helping connect graduates’ skill sets with appropriate jobs.
What innovations in the field of international education are you most excited about?
AI technology; we’re developing AI technologies and automation to incorporate into our workflows.
Over the past 25 years, we’ve evaluated millions of student degrees, and have a substantial database. I think the industry needs an algorithm that matches students with potential degree programs at different institutions to help them complete a particular degree as quickly and as cheaply as possible. We have much employment data too, so we could develop technology that helps determine degrees that produce the most ROI for post-graduate employment. That information is incredibly valuable. I think there’s a lot more we can do with the data we’re collecting that has considerable value for students, institutions, and employers.
What about the sector which keeps you up at night?
What bothers me tremendously is student debt. Some families are leveraging their livelihoods for their child’s education. And to me, there’s something unconscionable about that.
I’m concerned about the current shortage in nursing in [the US]. It’s currently estimated that over the next 10 years, there will be a shortage of approximately 400,000 nurses per year. It’s been exacerbated by the fact that immigration policy is not always aligned with meeting labour shortages. Many nurses come in on H-1B visas as highly skilled workers, and there are caps on these visas.
We should eliminate barriers when we need to recruit a certain category of workers for the health of the nation. And it’s going to take much advocacy in outreaching to our Congresspeople. It’s in the national interest to bring highly skilled students to the United States. And we need to advocate to help enact policies and change laws to do so.
And what about the sector gets you up in the morning?
I have great partners. I have great colleagues. I believe in what we’re doing.
We’re doing something that’s providing value to students, the country, and the global international education community at large.
