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Hi, I'm Alan Park — founder of FluentU.

You’re thinking about trying FluentU or working together in some way. I thought you should know who you’re dealing with. 🙂

I started FluentU in 2011 because I love language learning.

Don’t believe me?

Here’s how it all began…

I grew up speaking Korean and English (I’m Korean-American, born and raised in the US).

In college (Duke), on a whim, I took a Chinese class. My first quiz was a disaster. I had flashbacks to getting 6/20 in physics class.

But for some strange reason, I kept going.

I ended up doing the infamous “Duke Study in China” and “Princeton in Beijing” summer programs, where you’re required to take an oath to speak nothing but Chinese.

Later, I ended up taking Japanese my junior year. Then I went to the Princeton in Ishikawa summer program and managed to test into the 4th year class despite only having taken one semester of Japanese.

I became obsessed, and learned every way I could. I would hound my teachers to get feedback on my pronunciation. Or talk to myself in the shower. Constant exposure to Chinese audio and video media was a must. And learning with movies, music, dictionaries, and flashcards was a key unlock that made new words and phrases unforgettable to me.

You’d think that I’d stop at some point.

But after all this, I still couldn’t get enough.

After graduating, I spent a year trying to master Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

I interned at Hokuriku Broadcasting in Ishikawa, Japan.

I took classes at Zhejiang University, in Hangzhou, China.

I stayed in my uncle’s house and played Starcraft with my cousins (while learning Korean).

So where was I going with this?

My plan, like all International Relations majors, was to go to law school. And become an international lawyer!

Luckily, all I did at Duke was study, so my grades were able to get me to Harvard Law School.

But while at Harvard, I realized I didn't want to be in law.

So I did the unimaginable - I didn't take the bar exam (I’m still not qualified to practice law).

Instead, I went on to fulfill a dream: to work in Asia in the languages I had spent years learning. I wanted to put Chinese, Japanese, and Korean to the test.

I joined the Boston Consulting Group in Hong Kong.

Alan Park — founder of FluentU

I did management consulting projects in Shanghai, Tokyo, and Seoul.

I talked to team members and clients only in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean for days at a time. They often didn’t know I wasn’t a native speaker. 🙂

I think I passed my test (though I probably would have been a better consultant if I was only speaking in English).

It was an incredible experience, but I’m glad that I’m talking about it in the past tense.

I also realized big company life wasn’t for me.

At the same time, I had many ideas for a new product that I had to get out into the world.

So I did the only thing I could do.

I started FluentU.

Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to find a partner and team members who share my passion and make up for all my shortcomings and gaps in my knowledge.

All this is to say: you are in safe hands. FluentU is infused with my passion and learnings from more than a decade of obsession with language learning.

So, give FluentU a try. I promise, it'll be effective and fun — or at least more fun than a 6/20 on a physics test.

Alan

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