In this episode of âHumble Beginnings,â we chat with ICFâs Michael Jung about his unpredictable path to executive director of the companyâs climate center. Jung, born in Korea, shares the story of the first American his father met and how it influenced him to pursue medicine. When Jung and his family came to the States, they landed in Appalachia Kentucky after a few extreme climate-related incidents moved them out of other areas.
Eventually, Jung went to Yale for environmental science and East Asian studies. His passion and interest in the environment stem from many aspects of his life, from essentially being a climate refugee to his time in the Boy Scouts. An immigrant mentality also drove many of his extracurriculars. Jung didnât just dabble in hobbies; he excelled in them. He tells us about being a U.S. Fulbright fellow, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a former competitive ballroom dancer, a backpacker and more. Plus, hear how he snagged a career with ICF after it was the âone that got awayâ right after college, and what landed his family in Oregon.