Education
Boston University Class of 2027
Bachelor of Arts in Economics
Student Government Senator
Languages
Native bilingual fluency in English, Korean
Proficient in Spanish
Technical Skills
Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI, Python, Stata, Word, Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop
ABOUT ME
Hello! I'm Michael Hong, a Korean-American student studying Economics at Boston University. Having grown up in both the U.S. and South Korea, I’ve become interested in how geopolitical events, such as international conflicts, can deeply impact businesses, economies, and financial markets around the world. This sparked my passion in navigating the risks and uncertainties that define today’s increasingly interconnected world. In particular, I hope to understand and analyze such developments from an economic perspective, translating them into insights that inform effective financial and strategic decision-making. I am currently looking for full-time job opportunities in finance or consulting. I love connecting with people who share similar interests, so please feel free to reach out!
increasingly interconnected world. In particular, I hope to understand and analyze such developments from an economic perspective, translating them into insights that inform effective financial and strategic decision-making. I am currently looking for full-time job opportunities in finance or consulting. I love connecting with people who share similar interests, so please feel free to reach out!
Hello! I'm Michael Hong, a Korean-American student studying Economics and International Relations at Boston University. Having grown up in both the U.S. and South Korea, I’ve become interested in how geopolitical events, such as international conflicts, can deeply impact businesses, economies, and financial markets around the world. This sparked my passion in navigating the risks and uncertainties that define today’s
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
WILLIS TOWERS WATSON (WTW)
Summer Analyst Intern
• Prepared insurance placement deliverables for Fortune 500 clients by researching risk information for a global portfolio of 70 data center assets valued at $11.4 billion
• Assessed risk exposures across 130 client accounts representing $176.6 billion in insured value, identifying key factors to inform underwriting and placement strategy
• Shadowed Global 2,000 client meetings, gaining exposure to executive-level advisory and risk management
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Dean's Assistant, College of Arts & Sciences
• Designed a standardized Excel dashboard consolidating 15 key performance indicators across departments in academics, enrollment, and student outcomes, supporting administrative reviews of departmental performance
• Researched 8 major pharmaceutical companies with $110,000 in prior philanthropic contributions and drafted a funding strategy report to support renewed sponsorship of a Boston University STEM summer program
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Economics
• Supported AI-driven economic research analyzing 100 million historical newspaper articles with a custom-trained LLM to identify racial expulsion events across U.S. sundown towns in the 1800s
• Reviewed 2,000 LLM-classified articles to verify the presence of racial expulsion events, incorporating validated results into model training to improve accuracy
LEADERSHIP & ACTIVITIES
BOSTON UNIVERSITY STUDENT GOVERNMENT
College of Arts and Sciences Senator
• Elected to three consecutive terms as one of eight Senators; successfully managed a first-term social media campaign that generated 50,000 views, 1,000 likes, and 500 shares
• Spearheaded Senate legislation allocating $23,000 in funding to 20 under-represented student organizations
• Led the successful increase of the annual Community Service Fee from $73 to $77, generating $160,000 in additional annual funding for campus-wide events and initiatives
Executive Staff Member
• Produced a university-wide class registration tutorial video that simplified the enrollment process
• Surveyed 500 students on the registration interface, analyzed responses, and delivered recommendations that contributed to the redesign of the class registration website
CERTIFICATIONS
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ONLINE
Credential of Readiness (CORe)
• Completed a 150-hour pre-MBA program covering financial accounting, managerial economics, and business analytics, earning High Honors
• Analyzed corporate financial statements, assessed market trends, and built regression models on real-world cases to generate strategic business insights
CORPORATE FINANCE INSTITUTE® (CFI)
Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA®)
• Demonstrated expertise in 3-statement modeling, DCF valuation, sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis, budgeting, and forecasting using Microsoft Excel
(1) Photo with Dr. Melissa L. Gilliam, President of Boston University, before a 2024 Senate Meeting
MEDIA
(3) First Senate Meeting of the 2024-25 Year
(2) Representing Student Government during Boston University's Club Fair
"The hope that there's a place for even a short Korean kid with a silly name."
I ended a campaign rally speech at Marsh Plaza by borrowing a line from a famous 2004 speech, with the goal of inspiring a sense of hope and change at Boston University, when first running to become senator.
A couple days later, while looking for a table with my friends at the Marciano dining hall, I noticed that three tall guys were staring at me altogether. My immediate thought to myself was, "Am I about to get into a fight?" However, after a long moment of silence, one of them asked, "Are you Michael?" After I answered that I was, he offered to shake my hand and said, "I saw you on Instagram. You got my vote." It turned out that the three wanted to voice their support for my student government platform. It was just as simple as that.
The gesture, though simple, helped me finally discover my "why" for wanting to be elected senator and served as my motivation for the rest of the campaign period, which ultimately helped me get to hear my name at the announcement dinner a few weeks later. Yes, there was a place even for me, a short Korean kid with a silly name, here after all.
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This remains my “why,” not just for representing students at Boston University, but also for striving to make the world a better place. As a Korean-American, I’ve often doubted if I truly belonged here, wondering if someone like me could be heard or even lead. But that moment in the dining hall, when a stranger shook my hand and said that I had his vote, reminded me that someone like me could not only be heard but also make a difference through leadership.​​
My campaign affirmed the notion that there was a place even for me, a short Korean kid with a silly name. This is why I will continue to work to create meaningful impact in today's world: because each and every single one of us, no matter how “silly” our name sounds or how short we stand, deserves to have our voice heard, just as I had mine.
MY "WHY"