Then and Now

When I came to SLCC, I didn't speak any English. I had served an LDS mission in Korea, where I am from, then moved to Utah in 2004. I came here not knowing anyone and not being able to talk to anyone. It was a hard time for me. I was tempted to return home, when one morning I woke up and looked at my wrinkled, scrunched-up return airline ticket and I thought, "This looks like how I feel. I have to do better than this." At that moment, I chose to enjoy my six months here and make the most of it. Through my ESL classes and the Asian club, I began making friends. I was a B-Boy back home, so I would connect with others by teaching them how to breakdance.

I always joke that I learned my ABCs at SLCC. I started learning English in one of the few college ESL programs at the time, and my teacher was incredibly patient with me. It was here that I learned English well enough to start a business and interact with my customers.

"Don't think too much or listen too much to the people doubting you... You can do anything if you put action behind the idea"

In 2013, I remember seeing my first food truck ever in downtown SLC and I loved the concept. I had grown up working around food and collected BBQ recipes—I especially enjoyed serving food to people more than making it. I knew that one day I wanted to have my own business, so when I saw that food truck, I knew what I wanted to do. With every cent I had, I bought a used truck and started my business, Cupbop, based on Korean street food. There are now more than 200 Cupbop stores nationally.

Advice

Don't think too much or listen too much to the people doubting you. When I bought that food truck, I could have listened to all the reasons why I should not go for it, but I didn't. And every day when I would wake up, I would see it and it would motivate me to work hard. You can do anything if you put action behind the idea.