On March 19, global Korean Tire manufacturer Hankook Tire surprised the MTSU Korean Club with a $2,500 sponsorship at their on-campus career panel.
Hankook formed a tight bond with the Korean Club after discovering the club’s interest in Korean culture and offered mentorship in career development. Korean Club executives adored the resources Hankook shared with their community regarding culture and career development.
“We are using the scholarship to fulfill a goal of making a trip to South Korea next year, around the summer,” Aisha Karanustafic, the club’s former vice president, said. ”So that’s why we are partnering with multiple Korean businesses … Old officers and members had the chance to go to Korea at the peak of COVID, and we want to allow the new members an opportunity to go as well.”
During the panel, speakers Aslee Knight and James Pual from Hankook introduced themselves and gave a presentation on the operations and visions of expanding their global businesses and community. Tennessee has a large Korean community, so Hankook placed their only plant in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Hankook Tire is one of the top five manufacturers of tires that decided to expand their business on a global scale and come to Tennessee after discovering the “fertile soil.” The company brings billions of dollars to the state and creates thousands of jobs for Koreans and Tennesseeans, Korean Club executives said.
Collaborations between the Korean Club and Hankook Tire began last fall after the club invited them to speak at a meeting. Later in the semester, Hankook invited students and faculty to an onsite tour in Clarksville as a “thank-you” for the partnership. There, students learned about Korean business culture, cross-cultural communication in a career setting and recruitment. They also witnessed the production process first-hand.
The company sent representatives to MTSU to speak with students who missed the site tour last fall.
“Though there’s a lot of diversity here in the local community, you feel like there’s not much involvement,” Karanustafic said. “The [club] wants to improve that for the community of Murfreesboro.”
The club is involved with the community by hosting language lessons and self-study groups. They also teach students about Korean food and cultural activities, including the Korean lunar new year, Seollal, and Thanksgiving, Chuseok.
The MTSU Korean Club strives to enhance the presence of Korean culture in the local community. Members partner with local Korean businesses and reach out to let them know that there’s a club that wants more of the culture in Murfreesboro, club president Cindy Garcia-Gonzales said.
The club also advocates for MTSU to develop a Korean language course. This will help foster academic, personal and career development amongst students, Karanustafic said.
Members intend to use the sponsorship money to travel to South Korea next year, motivating them to partner with more businesses that can donate.
“It’s very beneficial to have a cross-cultural mutual understanding of language in the workplace,” Garcia-Gonzales said. “They not only talk about their Korean businesses, but they explain the opportunities and recruitment for graduate students if they want to pursue careers with them.”
To contact the News editor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, and follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on X and Instagram at @mtsusidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
