LoginJoin Bold.org
user profile avatar

Ian Kung

General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • Music
  • Psychology
  • Philosophy
  • Science
  • Neuroscience
  • Sociology
  • Mathematics
  • Writing
  • Snowboarding
  • Cooking
  • Football
  • Chinese
  • Journaling
  • Anatomy
  • Track and Field
  • Research
  • Volunteering
  • Video Editing and Production
  • Piano
  • Movies And Film
  • Public Speaking

Reading

  • Biography
  • Adventure
  • History
  • Humanities
  • Cultural
  • Classics
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Novels
  • Short Stories
  • Adult Fiction
  • Science Fiction
  • Sociology
  • Food and Drink

I read books multiple times a week.

Bio

Hello! I'm Ian, a recent graduate of William and Mary with a major in applied statistics and minor in supply chain analytics. International internship work experiences and research related to international finance and digital transformations in developing countries have allowed me to approach future problems with a global perspective. My current interests are in food and agricultural economics, which I will study further while pursuing an MS at Cornell. I am particularly interested in evaluating the impact that complex supply chains have on societal progress and wellbeing. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, traveling, and cooking. These activities support me while I seek to do future work that has wide ranging real-world applications using both theoretical and applied experiences.

Education

Cornell University

Master's degree program

2025 – 2027

Majors:
  • Business/Managerial Economics

William & Mary

Bachelor's degree program

2021 – 2025

Majors:
  • Mathematics and Statistics, Other
Minors:
  • Business Administration, Management and Operations

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)

Career

  • Operations Intern

    Medical Devices · Kerecis

    Jan 2025 – Present

  • Research Assistant

    Research · AidData

    Jan 2025 – Jan 2025

  • Research Intern

    Research · Innovations for Poverty Action

    Jan 2024 – Jan 2024

  • Survey Research Intern

    Non-Profit Organization Management · Sant Maral Foundation

    Jan 2023 – Jan 2023

  • Summer Intern

    Online Media · 1882 Foundation

    Jan 2022 – Jan 2022

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Logistics and Supply Chain
Dream career goals:
Data Scientist/Food Systems Researcher
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
  • Entrepreneurship
Suraj Som Aspiring Educators Scholarship
I remember being taken to Kumon around fifth grade. Students ranging from kindergarten to high school report to a small classroom littered with eraser shreds and sit down to fill out their own small packet filled with practice questions. For some, concentration was a problem, but I found some comfort in the repetition. After a while, multiplying fractions or doing long division became meditative, and I suddenly found myself at the end of the workbook. Now, as an undergraduate planning to major in computational science, and having moved past the foundational skills, I can see that the drilling at Kumon had a purpose. Furthermore, it is very possible that there exists a real and unlikely connection between science/math, characterized by procedures and facts, and spirituality, a term that refers to the nonmaterial and supernatural. To me, math represents certainty. If we have faith in nothing else, we know that 1+1=2. In addition, starting with a few basic applications as children, we can begin to construct more complex problems, and actually prove certain phenomena with already existing knowledge. Similarly, the broad area of science primarily consists of building and organizing knowledge of the universe. In this way, both fields require absolute facts to lay a foundation and make further discoveries possible. On the other hand, spirituality is a hard term to define, and a slippery concept. We have no tangible/observable evidence that a spirit even exists, making it virtually the opposite of math and science. A solidified definition of being spiritual is “of, concerned with, or affecting the soul”, which can be interpreted as the pursuit of a pure soul. It should be noted that not just anyone has the luxury of being troubled with how their soul feels. Only those who enjoy every other measure of wellbeing can begin to concern themselves with ‘self-actualization’, characterized by reaching one’s potential and creative endeavors. One well-known approach to reaching this state is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, where just above the most basic physiological needs comes the requirement of safety needs. An individual has to feel safe before climbing higher towards the peak, or in other words becoming more spiritual. As a result of how we use math and science to understand the world around us, they provide exactly the kind of security and stability required in the hierarchy of needs. Just like what I noticed while working through practice problems years ago, there is a calming effect that follows being absolutely certain of something. In math, each problem must have a correct answer, and it is because of science that we know what the weather will be tomorrow, or that Earth will not be hit by a meteor any second. This reassurance offers a sense of security, so that people can concentrate on building relationships or math homework instead. In closing, math and science establish a basic level of security and safety, which allows the most fortunate among us to turn our efforts towards reaching higher, and perhaps spiritual goals.
Ian Kung Student Profile | Bold.org