MEET THE BOARD
Jasmine Phun, President, Co-founder
Jasmine is a senior from Center City, Philadelphia who is on the pre-med track at Penn. She will be graduating with a major in Biological Basis of Behavior and minors in Chemistry and East Asian Studies. When she isn’t struggling to understand how G-protein coupled receptors work or is busy refining her medical school application, she loves trying new exotic foods and watching Korean movies in her free time. While being half-Chinese and half-Korean may be difficult at times, she is fortunate to be considered a part of both cultures and loves being able to say more than just 안녕하세요 and 你好. She has also made an effort to learn more about both countries through her EALC classes, which have been some of her favorite classes she has taken at Penn. Jasmine is happiest when she’s in front of some sizzling Korean pork belly, spicy soybean soup, and an ice-cold bottle of soju (the original kind, of course).
Juliana Pena, VP of Finance & Huntsman Liaison
Juliana Peña is a junior at the University of Pennsylvania pursuing a dual degree in International Business and International Studies and a minor in Korean Studies. As a 2016-2017 James Joo Jin Kim Undergraduate Fellow she promoted the academic study of Korea and related topics and events around Penn's Campus. She is involved in the Wharton Asia Exchange (WAX) where she focuses on educating Penn students about Asian business practices and opportunities . Juliana has had first hand experience working in Asian business as a foreigner, when she interned at AP Communications, a Seoul brand content marketing firm. This past summer she interned at Facebook where she helped with Small and Medium sized commerce businesses make more impactful ads. Juliana looks forward to continuing her career at Facebook, and is especially interested in applying her knowledge of Korean, Spanish and other cultures to produce impactful marketing campaigns to help businesses.
Chenel Morrison, VP of Internal Affairs
Chenel Morrison is a undergraduate student studying Biology. Along with her aspiration of entering a career in medicine, she has a passion for learning new languages, and exploring different cultures. She started studying Korean as a sophomore, and is currently learning Chinese as a extracurricular activity. In her free time, she enjoys reading non-fiction books, writing, and has a unhealthy habit of data-mining and strategically planning ways to be productive.
Erick Beck, VP of External Affairs, Co-founder
Erick is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in East Asian Languages and Civilizations (with a concentration in Japanese Studies) and minoring in Religious Studies. Aside from going on tangents, he loves learning about Japanese culture, religion, and language. If he had to choose his spirit animal, it would probably be Zapdos.
Rebecca Zaynidinova, Webmaster
Rebecca is an undergraduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences. She plans to major in Communication through the Annenberg School for Communication and minor in Korean. Originally from Central Asia, Rebecca first became interested in studying East Asia when she came to the United States and noticed many similarities between East Asian cultures and her own. By the time she graduates, Rebecca’s goal is to take every Korean language class offered at Penn and to study abroad for a year - a semester at Yonsei University and National University of Singapore. She also likes testing the limits of her cognitive abilities by taking Korean and Chinese language classes back-to-back. As expected, she ends up getting both languages mixed up.
John G. Grisafi, President Emeritus, Co-founder
John G. Grisafi is a second-year MA student in East Asian Languages and Civilizations. His research is focused on the history and politics of religion in modern Korea. He is currently writing a thesis on the religious policies and activities of the U.S. military occupation of South Korea from 1945-1949. John studied at Penn as an undergraduate. He completed his BA in EALC and World History in 2017 and submatriculated into the MA program. Before coming to Penn, John served in the U.S. Army for 10 years as Korean linguist and analyst, including five years stationed in South Korea. He also wrote for the website NK News. John was a founding member of PEASSA and served as its first president. He is now chair of the EALC Graduate Student Research Colloquium, a graduate student group which maintains a mentoring relationship with PEASSA. After graduation, John plans to enter a Ph.D. program and pursue a career in academia.