Hallie Bradley’s experience in Seoul with Next Step Connections

Founded in 2008 by Jér?me Le Carrou , Next Step Connections offers students and universities experiential learning experiences across Asia. We aim to help students prepare for their future careers by providing personalized learning experiences in the world of work while also helping them develop essential skills for success in their chosen field. Next Step Connections collaborates with various organizations and has impacted the lives of over 5,000 students worldwide, experiencing an impressive 90% growth in participating students.

However, the success of Next Step Connections could not be achieved without the team that helps students through various stages of the process, from crafting a customized internship experience to helping them prepare to live in a foreign country for the next few months.?

This is where team members like Hallie Bradley come in and bring these experiences to life.

Hallie is originally from the US but moved to Korea in 2006, where Seoul quickly became her new home for the next two decades, working as a writer and copywriter and marketing a range of Korean products. She is also a Korean tourism specialist, which involves promoting and sharing the beauty and culture Seoul has to offer. Hallie joined Next Step Connections in 2020 and utilizes her expertise to help students who come to Seoul get settled and have the most fulfilling cultural experience.

Hallie’s journey with Next Step Connections

Hallie had experience planning events and tours in Korea, but she had never worked with as organization such as Next Step Connections and saw the opportunity as an exciting role. For her, it was a chance to step into a new role, one that involved guiding students through the intricacies of life in Seoul. From helping them navigate the maze of bustling markets to easing their worries about fitting into smaller doorways and beds, Hallie's days are filled with diverse challenges and heartwarming moments.

One student asked Hallie, “How do I buy tomatoes?” whereas another was “absolutely certain that someone has stolen her shoes,” Hallie reminisces. “Some of the guys we've had are [taller] and Koreans are [typically of a smaller stature], so doorways are smaller, beds are smaller ... so we have questions like how do I sleep here?” But amidst the laughter and occasional confusion, Hallie sees something profound taking shape – the transformation of students as they step out of their comfort zones and embrace all that Korea has to offer. And while an internship may only last “two or three months, it's still huge, and we've had students who have come back to Korea after their internship who decided they liked it so much they want to stay for another year.”

Embracing Experiential Learning

From her vast journey through South Korea and, relatively more recently, her work with Next Step Connections, Hallie underscores the significance of experiential learning experiences in shaping students' understanding of the world.

Especially after the pandemic, “everyone needs to work on their communication skills. I think when you add a layer of culture into that, it just allows people to grow even more with how they are effectively communicating with each other,” Hallie explains. When you enter any workplace, you will interact with people from different demographics and backgrounds.

“So if you go and have an experiential learning place in another country, I think it helps to reinforce how important it is to be able to communicate what you're thinking and be vigilant about saying yes or no or learning how to be advocating for yourself.”?

Through her interactions with students and helping them navigate Korea, Hallie has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of experiential learning. “It's not just about being in an office and learning how an office works but … because we can work remotely, we can be in all these different countries, at these different times, and we're working with teammates in other countries,” she stresses that having opportunities to go and work abroad, and learn from the environment around you at a young age is valuable and important.??

Moreover, Hallie highlights the role of experiential learning in fostering personal growth and resilience. Whether it is something big or small, “they might know, like, okay, next time I go abroad, I need to prepare this and this and this, and that's still all something you learn from the experience no matter what.” Hallie also believes in more than just introducing students to professional life in Seoul. For her, it's about fostering cross-cultural competence, a skill she deems vital in today's globalized world and shares more about her role.

“So the first month, we try to do a lot more cultural experiences, educational experiences and volunteering experiences so they can see different aspects of life in Korea. Then, in the second month and third months, we may only meet them once or twice depending on the schedule and how things work out, but we want them to be able to go and feel like they can go on their own and experience different things.”

There are many factors to consider when moving to a new country, and “[Korea] is a hierarchical country based on age. So, our interns are the youngest. So they have to know how to advocate for themselves, or learn how to advocate for themselves. And we jump in if they don't and can't and they need help, we'll jump in and help them absolutely. But we try to help them first begin the conversation, and foster that because communication is so important.” she emphasizes, underlining the nuanced nature of cross-cultural interactions, which are invaluable. Hallie adds that students can then use these interactions and reflect on how they could’ve communicated better and persevere by going back the next day and approaching something differently.?

“[Asian countries] cultures and their histories are so long compared to the states, for example. That learning some of those traditions is just really eye-opening. We can hold onto tradition, and we can still embrace tradition while also modernizing countries and places too, which I think places like Korea have done really well.”?

Beyond K-Dramas and Kimchi

“You don't have time to become a local and figure these things out. So it's much better if you do have some liaisons helping you and saying this weekend here's an awesome event going on here's a festival going on,” Hallie says. This is especially common as there are common misconceptions students and people have of Korea.?

“If you are really interested in K-pop, that's awesome, but yeah, it's not idols walking around on streets everywhere, and you're probably not going to meet BTS or Blackpink, I'm so sorry to say, but could you see a concert? Maybe.” Hallie expresses.?

“These days, people watch Korean dramas and they're like, ‘Oh, this is what life is like in Korea?’” She shares anecdotes of interns expecting the glamor of idols on every corner, only to be pleasantly surprised by the authentic charm of neighborhoods in Seoul.

In exploring Korean culture, Hallie sheds light on the country's landscape, telling students to “Be aware of your surroundings and what you're doing because you are representing your entire country and culture.” Hallie says, “that they have to think about the flip side, what are you going to do then consider how the person that you're interacting with feels, you might be the first American they're meeting, you might be the first Australian they’re meeting.”?

In her mission to foster cultural understanding, Hallie also addresses how locals outside of Seoul may react to seeing a foreigner, saying that “a lot of our students will say it's when they leave Seoul and go to more rural areas of the country that they really notice that people are kind of interested in them.”

"From 'How did you get there? Where are you from?' to 'Do you like kimchi? And are you married?'" Although many students have said that they feel these are relatively personal questions, Hallie always reassures them that locals are trying to find a way to connect with them.

A Global Classroom

In Hallie’s eyes, every interaction, from mundane daily tasks to professional challenges, becomes a lesson in understanding and adapting. As she continues to shape interns' experiences in Seoul, she believes that the true value of experiential learning lies not just in the tasks accomplished but in the kaleidoscope of cultural encounters that have a lasting impact on the lives of every student.

As Hallie and the rest of the Next Step Connections team continue to mentor the next generation of global citizens, they remain committed to fostering a supportive environment where students can thrive, learn, and, ultimately, become agents of positive change in an increasingly interconnected world.