Jeff Lee - Who You Are Matters
Hi everyone, my name is Jeff Lee. I was born in Korea and came to America in 5th grade. It's difficult to exactly say where I come from since I've lived in Riverside, Irvine, Diamond Bar and Seoul throughout my life, but I'd say I am from a small town called Diamond Bar, CA. Exclusively centered on education, the town only has the basic infrastructure needed to be considered as a city. It is heavily populated by Asians and it is actually not as boring as I make it sound to be because it is close to other major cities in Southern California.
Coming to USC as a Marshall student, my original career goal was to become a corporate lawyer, but after taking WRIT 150, I concluded that I lack one of the most important skills to become a lawyer. After going through a careful internal analysis and self-exploration, I chose to dive into investment banking recruiting process. As a senior about to graduate in 5 months, I will be working as an investment banking analyst in Rothschild's Los Angeles office upon graduation. I only plan to stay here briefly so I can move onto either private equity or corporate development. My tentative long-term plan is to go into MBA program in 3-5 years and I ultimately want to start my fund in Korea. I believe the biggest asset that I've acquired during my college years is to be humble and ambitious at the same time. By continuing to be a responsible individual, I hope to achieve these milestones one by one.
I think I am a perfect example of a child who resembles 50% dad and 50% mom. My dad and I both like to socialize with friends, to excessively spend money sometimes, and to concentrate completely on something I find passionate. But unlike my dad, I do not underestimate my capabilities and I am a little bit more ambitious. My mom and I both know the importance of "tradeoffs" in life, always need our own time alone, and are completely okay with making some sacrifices in life. But, I am not as frugal as my mom and I don't think I can ever be as caring and unselfish as her.
My expectation is essentially divided into two parts: my own and my family's. My family just wanted me to have a proud and happy life, but my expectation was to maintain that happiness while finding a job that can give me satisfaction and challenge simultaneously. Derived from this blend of my expectations and my family's, my roadmap for finding a balance in my life was a compromise of reality and ambition. But, I don't have any regrets and I am excited for my life after graduation.
My role model is Cristiano Ronaldo, an arguably one of the best soccer players in the history. Not only is he a great player, but he is truly an impactful individual in this world. With an alcoholic dad and financially unstable family background, Ronaldo concentrated all his efforts on becoming the best soccer player as a teenager, which helped him to become a person he is today. He has won multiple championships, but he is always the first one to come to practice and the last one to leave. His humble personality despite his excellent achievements really stand out through his continuous charity donations and respect for peers and elders on and off the field. Simply put, he is an all-around individual whom I want to be like in the future.
As a child, I had an elephant figure that I brought with me everywhere until I lost it in my grandma's neighborhood when I was 6. Ever since, I've always had a deep connection with elephants. Everytime I go to a zoo, I must see an elephant. I think elephant represents a symbolic figure in my life - I want to become "the biggest me" possible through continuing to be strong and powerful as an elephant is the most dominant animal in animal kingdom.
A childhood encounter I have with a tree or plant is when I took a family trip to the U.S. in 2nd grade. I saw General Sherman, a giant sequoia tree in the Sequoia National Park. To a younger self, the image of an enormous tree is still firmly embedded in my memory. Witnessing such a giant tree taught me that there are numerous things in life that I haven't had a chance to see. That is when I learned the importance of exploration and travel.
Thank you for reading my first post!
Coming to USC as a Marshall student, my original career goal was to become a corporate lawyer, but after taking WRIT 150, I concluded that I lack one of the most important skills to become a lawyer. After going through a careful internal analysis and self-exploration, I chose to dive into investment banking recruiting process. As a senior about to graduate in 5 months, I will be working as an investment banking analyst in Rothschild's Los Angeles office upon graduation. I only plan to stay here briefly so I can move onto either private equity or corporate development. My tentative long-term plan is to go into MBA program in 3-5 years and I ultimately want to start my fund in Korea. I believe the biggest asset that I've acquired during my college years is to be humble and ambitious at the same time. By continuing to be a responsible individual, I hope to achieve these milestones one by one.
I think I am a perfect example of a child who resembles 50% dad and 50% mom. My dad and I both like to socialize with friends, to excessively spend money sometimes, and to concentrate completely on something I find passionate. But unlike my dad, I do not underestimate my capabilities and I am a little bit more ambitious. My mom and I both know the importance of "tradeoffs" in life, always need our own time alone, and are completely okay with making some sacrifices in life. But, I am not as frugal as my mom and I don't think I can ever be as caring and unselfish as her.
My expectation is essentially divided into two parts: my own and my family's. My family just wanted me to have a proud and happy life, but my expectation was to maintain that happiness while finding a job that can give me satisfaction and challenge simultaneously. Derived from this blend of my expectations and my family's, my roadmap for finding a balance in my life was a compromise of reality and ambition. But, I don't have any regrets and I am excited for my life after graduation.
My role model is Cristiano Ronaldo, an arguably one of the best soccer players in the history. Not only is he a great player, but he is truly an impactful individual in this world. With an alcoholic dad and financially unstable family background, Ronaldo concentrated all his efforts on becoming the best soccer player as a teenager, which helped him to become a person he is today. He has won multiple championships, but he is always the first one to come to practice and the last one to leave. His humble personality despite his excellent achievements really stand out through his continuous charity donations and respect for peers and elders on and off the field. Simply put, he is an all-around individual whom I want to be like in the future.
As a child, I had an elephant figure that I brought with me everywhere until I lost it in my grandma's neighborhood when I was 6. Ever since, I've always had a deep connection with elephants. Everytime I go to a zoo, I must see an elephant. I think elephant represents a symbolic figure in my life - I want to become "the biggest me" possible through continuing to be strong and powerful as an elephant is the most dominant animal in animal kingdom.
A childhood encounter I have with a tree or plant is when I took a family trip to the U.S. in 2nd grade. I saw General Sherman, a giant sequoia tree in the Sequoia National Park. To a younger self, the image of an enormous tree is still firmly embedded in my memory. Witnessing such a giant tree taught me that there are numerous things in life that I haven't had a chance to see. That is when I learned the importance of exploration and travel.
Thank you for reading my first post!
Hi Jeff! I really enjoyed reading your post. I also began college in a different major, so I know how difficult it is to change your life's path. It's great that you found your passion.
ReplyDeleteOh this is sick you're at Rothschild in LA. I have some friends that work there and in the NYC office. I also went through recuriting and the IB trek my Sophomore year but then switvhed to the buy side where I currently am at BlackRock. Nice!
ReplyDeleteI have been to Irvine and Diamond Bar a lot because many of my friends live there. It is definitely cool to work for IB after graduation and what you learn in college about being a both humble and ambitious at the same time is really inspiring!
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