Your first cue might be the swag. Sporting a golf polo and baseball cap with UNLV’s spirit logo, Jaekeun Cho is a walking advertisement for the university and for the College of Engineering, where he directs the international programs office.
But it's not the swag that convinces prospective students to come here; it's his life-change story.
Cho uses his own upbringing and personal experience with international programs to connect with and encourage students from an array of countries to make the most of their experience studying and researching in the U.S. And, it doesn’t hurt that the place he’s convincing them to turn into a second home is a Top Tier research institution connected to one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities.
“You have to take advantage of every single moment in this country and at this university,” Cho tells his students. “The outcome here is even greater than what you expect at the outset. My life certainly shows what’s possible when you take the leap.”
Cho, who came to the U.S. in 2008 to study at the University of Nebraska after spending three years at a university in Korea, uses his own “do-over” moment to inspire students, encouraging them to think on a global scale.
“I gave up completing my degree in Korea because I fell in love with Nebraska and its university community,” Cho said. “Though I could have graduated faster if I had stayed in Korea, I’m so glad I made the switch. In hindsight, I wish I had come to the U.S. sooner — studying abroad gave me so much confidence and taught me the true meaning of perseverance. It completely changed the course of my life.”
As a fierce advocate for international programs, Cho is making connections with partner universities across the world, bringing students from Japan, China, France, Vietnam, and a continuously growing rolodex of countries, to study alongside UNLV Engineering researchers for short- and long-term programs, internships and experiential learning, and to get a taste of the U.S. experience.
It’s quite a journey. Let’s tag along for the ride.
What led to the creation of the Engineering International Programs Office?
Before I was hired, the college had what I would say was a decentralized international programs office. On a case-by-case basis, faculty would occasionally bring international students onto the campus and into their labs depending on their own individual networks. Jaci Batista had a particularly strong network in Brazil and would bring a lot of students to UNLV.
In conversations with Dean Rama Venkat and other faculty members, they developed a vision to formalize the office and bring on an advocate who could lead the program. I saw the job posting in 2017 — I applied and now I’m here and can’t see myself being anywhere else.
How do you foster strong relationships with international partner institutions, and what qualities do you look for in potential new partners?
Networking is paramount. I work with institutional university partners or government entities, and I have worked to build up strong word-of-mouth references. One person says, “Oh, Jaekeun has done a great job for this specific program,” and that carries a lot of weight, particularly in countries like Japan, which currently doesn’t have a strong study abroad culture.
The international nature of Las Vegas can work both for and against us. In the past, sometimes potential partners would reach out, tacking on only a brief visit to UNLV as part of a larger trip to Las Vegas and the region. But, we’ve changed our entire model.
Through the networks we’ve built, we proactively seek out partner institutions and make UNLV — and the programs we offer — a focal point of any short-term, long-term, internship, or experiential learning experience.
Similar to faculty members writing grants to support their research, we also look for partner institutions that have government-funded programs to support students, which eases the financial burden and makes it easier for them to fulfill their study abroad aspirations. And we also position ourselves to meet their needs.
Currently, our partnerships in South Korea are particularly strong because their government is laser-focused on growing more engineers. Recently, we partnered with a government agency in Korea that’s very specialized in energy projects and developed a two-week short-term program — led by UNLV professor of energy technology Heejin Cho — for a group of South Korean students. Our South Korean partners are always wanting to do more and more programs with us.
In recent years, what has been your favorite country you’ve traveled to and why?
If I had to choose one, it would be Japan. It’s very modern, very clean, very advanced, and the people are very kind. I’m also particularly intrigued by Japan because there’s some resistance for young people to learn English. And for me, learning English changed my entire life.
In conversations with students, I try to persuade them that learning English can expand their horizons and make it possible for them to live and work in almost any country. Japan is also a country where I want to increase our partnerships. Back in the day, Japan was sending 50,000 to 100,000 students through study abroad programs. Now, it’s about 15,000. It’s a challenging environment to build networks, but I’m optimistic that our efforts will result in more Japanese students visiting, studying and interning at UNLV.
You travel a lot for work. But is there a place you like to travel in your personal time?
I actually just returned from a family vacation to Lake Tahoe with my wife and daughter. I’ve been fortunate to travel all over the world, but we haven’t really spent a lot of time in Northern Nevada. It was nice to explore a place that was pretty close to home.
I’m guessing you’ve tried a variety of different cuisines. But what’s your go-to cuisine or restaurant when you’re at home?
I’m very simple when I’m at home. I’m Korean, and in my house we typically make and enjoy Korean food. When we go out to eat, we don’t just choose one specific dish. We go to Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Thai restaurants. Our city is very global — it’s one of my favorite things about Las Vegas.
When I am hosting international guests, however, I typically take them to Ferraro’s. It’s my favorite Italian restaurant in the city and our visitors fall in love with it every time.
You bring countless international students to Las Vegas and to the UNLV campus every year. What is the Vegas and UNLV campus “must-see” that you most often share with them?
Since we’ve opened our new Advanced Engineering Building, the AEB is of course a highlight; I want to make sure that the students we’re bringing onto campus get as much access to this state-of-the-art facility as possible.
I also encourage students to spend time in Lied Library and the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. I took up racquetball during my study abroad experience thanks to the encouragement of my American dad, Greg Swinney. He “adopted” me as a son in the U.S. when I came to Nebraska, and showed me unlimited love and encouragement during my time at the University of Nebraska. It’s largely because of him that I know first-hand the value of sports and fitness for both emotional and physical health.
We also like to take students on regional trips to Zion National Park and Antelope Canyon. And, of course, I highly encourage students to see a Cirque du Soleil show on the Strip.
Since you travel often to develop partnerships with other universities, I’m guessing you bring a lot of UNLV swag with you. What is your favorite item?
I definitely have a lot of swag. I always find good stuff at the PGA store on campus.
Representing where I’m from on visits to our partners in different countries is vitally important. Investing in quality, UNLV-branded items to leave behind with our partners is a small part of my strategy. Our international partners are more likely to wear high-quality items — we don’t want to just end up packed away in a drawer somewhere. We want them talking about us and what the UNLV College of Engineering can offer long after we visit.
What’s one book that has had a big impact on your life?
Grit: the Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth.
I think it sums up much of my own personal study abroad experience and my life in America. Sometimes I think people are afraid of challenges, but the biggest challenges in my life have given me the greatest lessons. Life is about perseverance.
One story I like to tell our students is about my racquetball journey.
My American dad, Greg Swinney, was a big racquetball player when I came to Nebraska to live with them and he introduced me to the sport. He’s 30 or so years older than me, and when I went up against him for the first time, I thought I would easily beat him because I was pretty fit. But, I was very wrong. During that very first match I got zero points.
That loss lit a fire under me and I grew to love the sport. Over time, I got better and better and I beat some of the best players in town. I won a state medal in college and a bronze medal in the U.S. Open Racquetball Championship in the amateur division. These experiences gave me a lot of momentum and helped me to not give up. They showed me the true meaning of grit.
