Yoonjung Choi
CAS’27
Economics
GRIP: Taipei City Government in Taiwan
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What made my GRIP summer experience so special was that it was my first time working abroad and visiting Taiwan. Before going, I was incredibly excited, but also nervous about everything from finding housing to communicating in a non-native language.
Rather than staying in an Airbnb, I wanted a more budget-friendly option that would still allow me to spend on traveling, food, and activities throughout the summer. I researched different housing options before ultimately choosing a shared house near my office. At first, I was nervous because I had never lived in that kind of environment before, but it unexpectedly became one of the highlights of my summer. Over two months, I lived alongside different people from around the world, and getting to share everyday life together made the experience feel much more immersive and personal.
This summer was my first time balancing recruiting while also trying out everything that Taiwan had to offer. Because of the time difference, I was often doing coffee chats between midnight and 3:00 a.m., completing HireVues and applications at night, and then heading to work the next morning. It taught me a lot about balancing priorities while still making the most of being abroad.
Lastly, I learned about building lasting relationships. Our team was really close by the end of the summer, and we still keep in touch to this day. Thus, I would love to share my work abroad experience with students.
My Experience Abroad
Working abroad brought many of the concepts I had studied as an Economics major to life. I wrote a Penn Abroad blog post about this memorable experience, where I took away many professional skills. For eight weeks, I worked from 9–5 with a team on a policy research project, which gave me firsthand insight into how governments evaluate problems, balance competing priorities, and consider the economic consequences of policy decisions. This experience provided me with valuable insights in terms of how global policies, incentives, and factors can shape a city economy. In Taipei, I was able to see how these ideas actually influence decisions at the city level. Our visits to different parts of the city government, including the transportation system, as well as a semiconductor facility, also helped me understand how public policy, infrastructure, industry, and economic growth are interconnected. Seeing Taiwan’s semiconductor industry firsthand gave me an especially valuable perspective on the country’s important role in the global economy.
The experience also strengthened skills that are important to my academic and professional goals. Working closely with students and colleagues from Taiwan and the U.S. taught me how to collaborate across cultures, communicate different perspectives, and adapt within an international workplace.
Overall, the internship strengthened my research, teamwork, and presentation skills while giving me a much more practical understanding of economics and policymaking. It also made me more interested and excited in pursuing future opportunities that involve cross-cultural collaboration and international work.
Other Highlights
- Attending a Taipei baseball game and participating in other activities that helped me experience Taiwanese culture beyond the workplace
- Â Being invited by a local student intern to spend a weekend with her family in Taichung and experiencing Taiwanese family life over dinner together
- Â Presenting our policy research project to the Mayor of Taipei, who is also a Penn Law alumnus
- Hosting a session at the Global InnoYouth Summit and hearing from inspiring speakers and young people from around the world
