Upward Bound - Harvey Mudd College

In the summer of 2003, no less than six months after obtaining his graduate degree, Son embarked on his professional journey in the most idealistic of senses. His first teaching experience came via the Upward Bound program at Harvey Mudd College. Working with high school students in the El Monte, South El Monte, and Pomona Unified School districts, Son and his first fourteen students spent an entire summer and Georgetown University taking a glimpse of our past in the most historical of cities in America, Washington, D.C. His experience was one of his most cherished and memorable. It taught him invaluable lessons working with students in under-performing schools and districts and trying to elevate their minds and intellects. His students also taught him as much as he did them about life, mental toughness, strength, and sheer determination. It was poignant and powerful to say the least. Son still reflects on that two month experience as his most memorable to this day.