RIGHT SIDE PRODUCTIONS
Ju-Ran Yoon

A student from Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea, Ju-Ran Yoon  also attended Seoul National University and was involved in broadcasting through her church, for which she sang (as she did to raise money for other charitable organizations). Ju-Ran worked as an English interpreter for the summer Olympiad held on her campus, and she taught English at a private educational institute. A junior in college, Ju-Ran applied to the Washington Internship Program in mid July of 2005 and requested an internship in mass communications. WIP placed her at Graham Williams Group and the Right Side Productions – a public-relations firm that also creates television and radio programs which examine political and cultural topics from a conservative perspective. Ju-Ran worked there with two other WIP interns: her friend Sumi Kang from KNU who was at Graham Williams /The Right Side Productions until being accepted for a second internship with C-Span Television, and an Italian intern – Laura Giovara, who had done some freelance broadcasting in Milan before this placement. Ju-Ran’s internship started in September, and in February of 2006 she was nearly fired for absenteeism and failing to give notice when unable to work due to illness. However, Ju-Ran learned from the example set by her peers, and her work product improved significantly. Below are parts of Ju-Ran’s final paper translated from the Korean. 
      
“As I reflect over my year in Washington, D.C., this report reminds me of the early days. Over the months here, I thought a lot about the way Americans live. They rarely become daunted in front of many people, and most do not hesitate when expressing opinions. This cultural tendency was one of the most impressive realities I witnessed in the United States.

“I was an intern at Graham Williams Group / Right Side Productions, a small broadcasting station. As I grew more self-assured, I realized that I could handle whatever challenges arose. Finding this confidence in myself was a joyful experience, which brought me one step closer to my dream of becoming a mass media announcer.”

“America is sometimes called the ‘land of opportunity,’ and it’s composed of diverse people with different origins and characteristics. I had trouble adjusting to this fact in the beginning, but I read as much as possible on the Internet – about the U.S. as well as broadcasting – to strengthen my professional background.”

(See photograph above: Ju-Ran Yoon [on left] is with supervisor, and KNU intern Sumi Kang is seated.)

“I enjoyed a great Christmas season at the home of our CEO. At work, most employees concentrated on assignments without much talking, but during the holidays staff treated us like family, and we all exchanged cards.”                                              
 “One day I went to Capitol Hill with my supervisor as well as the boss of our company. They both delivered speeches to many students. As I mentioned earlier, the young Americans in the audience – unlike typical Korean listeners – voiced their reactions with confidence. One of the most important lessons I learned during the internship is what U.S. citizens could teach all Koreans: a person can be modest but not shy, and each individual should proudly state his or her ideas without fear of shame or mistakes.”

“In addition, I worked as a volunteer at the twelfth annual Gala Dinner hosted by the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS). At this event, I met many successful people who had a positive impact on society, and I was excited to take part.”

“I promised myself to experience as much as possible before returning to Korea, but now that my internship is finished, I feel somewhat unfulfilled because there is always more to do. Nevertheless, I came to the ‘new world’ and developed diverse viewpoints on my own life. I’ll try to do my best in the future.”



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