Forecast for estimating the number of guests expected the following month, trend analysis to identify the latest in hospitality to come up with smart campaigns to lock in guests —these are what I do every day since I work at a leading hotel as a marketer.

But more than ten years ago, I was reading books and papers on General Biotechnology and Applied Biology as I was a student at the Department of Biotechnology.

Sharp contrast indeed. Thus, when I told my friends that I was changing majors, my Biotech friends were most surprised, wondering out loud in disbelief, “Why?” Because even I must admit that a conversion from STEM to hotel is rare in Korea.

Two people, however, understood — my parents. They respected my decision, perhaps because they also know what change means. My father, for instance, became a real estate agent after passing the rigorous nationally administered test at the age of 59. And my mother worked in finance for over 10 years, and now she runs a clothing store.

As such, they always cheered me on to explore and venture out. They tell me that it is because they don’t want their only child to ask the question that they themselves asked all their life—what if. My father, for instance, lost both his parents very young. Thus, his eight older brothers raised him, but as they all struggled to make a living themselves, finding out what he loved was simply a luxury he could not afford. My mother also lost her father young, and with a single mom who sold goods in a market, she just didn’t have many options in life.

Thus, they really sacrificed for their child.

I’m most grateful—though I also have mixed feelings—because just as they understand me, I also understand them. I know why my father made that career change, for instance: he did it for me. He started to study for the test just around the time I landed in California to pursue my Master’s. Although I earned a scholarship and covered the rest with money I saved working day and night, my parents also pitched in $20,000. Still, I’m sure that my father felt compelled to prepare for the possibility of paying for my PhD education if I decided to stay and continue my studies. Of course, funding is often available, but to a man who grew up in a country where everyone was on their own after the devastation of the Korean War (he was born only five years after), I don’t think he believed me. So, to prepare for my education, he chose the only career he knew that paid well and welcomed anyone regardless of education level (my father is a high school graduate).

But this career never suited him, and he never made more than a few thousand dollars.

Meanwhile, my mother leaves at dawn every single day to go to the wholesale market to purchase clothing and endures hundreds of rejections (she is the only salesperson at the store).

Seeing how much they endured for me became my true motivation. Trying my best was never an option to begin with. I had to deliver. So, I gave my 100%, and my CV was born as such; graduating from California State Polytechnic University master’s program with a near-perfect GPA (3.93), three publications (two completed while working full-time), and a career built at the leading hotels, including the Grand Hyatt.

All of this was made possible by my parents. But more than anything, I’m deeply grateful because they taught me so much about life—that it isn’t a one-way street, that opportunities exist for those willing and ready, that I should listen to my heart to regret less later (which helped me immensely when I changed my major to a drastically different path), and the power of motivation (for them, I was theirs, while they were also mine).

I owe them so much. Although I gave them $100,000 (all my savings) to help my mother with her store during COVID-19, that amount, I feel, is merely 0.0001% of all that I owe them. But my parents don’t expect anything more. All they want is for their child to be happy doing what he loves.

They couldn’t come to California for my graduation because of financial difficulties. Thus, my dream is to have them come for my PhD graduation from my dream school — to show them how all their sweat and tears paid off.