When Han first moved to Vancouver, he wasn’t as proficient in English yet. That made him feel less confident, but not for long. “I especially remember the Google-MBAN Hackathon, where I was nervous about presenting in English, but my team cheered me on and helped me through it. UBC also offered valuable resources like the Language Exchange Programme, which helped me improve my communication skills and feel more confident,” he says.
Today, Han serves as the AI/ML Engineer at the IT services and consulting company, Permafrost AI. If there’s one piece of advice he would offer to anyone considering a UBC Sauder education, it would be to make the most of every networking opportunity with peers, faculty and industry professionals. “The diverse connections you build here can truly enrich your learning experience, open doors you didn’t expect, and give you a whole new perspective on your career and goals,” he says.
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To embrace emerging technologies — that’s the reason Kook Han decided to venture into AI, having worked as a financial analyst in South Korea for four years. He signed up for the Master of Business Analytics programme at UBC Sauder and his trajectory has only gone upwards since, from intern to junior data scientist to engineer today.
“I chose the UBC MBAN because of its strong balance between technical training and real-world business applications,” Han says. “The programme provided these opportunities through discussions, presentations, and case studies. This approach prepared me to think critically about how data and analytics can drive decision-making and innovation — skills that have been essential in every role I’ve taken on since graduation.”