About Me — Seyeon Jerred
Obsessed with learning about EVERYTHING
Greetings!
My name is Seyeon (세연). I pronounce it say-own. If you’ve ever met me in-person or had a class with me, you’ve probably heard me introduce myself: “Like you Say it and you Own it.”
I was adopted from Inchon, South Korea when I was 3 months old. My parents flew over from the United States to pick me up. They deliberated for months on what they were going to call me. Mostly, they couldn’t agree on a name. My mom wanted Clare; my dad wanted Rebecca.
When my foster mom brought me out to meet them for the first time, they heard her use a pet name, which contained Seyeon (I’m not including it here because it’s personal). They told me they looked at each other and knew they had finally settled on a name. Keeping my original name is one of the greatest gifts they’ve given me. It suits me.
To this day, I’ve never met another adoptee who has their original Korean name. Though I pronounce my name say-own, I’m aware no Korean pronounces it this way. It’s been Americanized, just like me, and I absolutely love it.
Yet, there’s a part of me that yearns to know my Korean roots; more specifically, my stomach. I didn’t grow-up eating Korean food, but my affinity for it is deeply rooted in my genetics. I still remember the day I had bibimbop for the first time. Even now, my body craves kimchi like no other food group.
Fast Forward to Now
I’m 37 years old. My Myers-Briggs personality type is an ENFP. I only include this because it’s an accurate description of me. Pulling from the 16 Personalities website,
“ENFPs are true free spirits — outgoing, openhearted, and open-minded… fueled by their intense desire for meaningful, emotional connections with others.”
My Husband is My Bestie
I’m married to my best friend and soulmate. He’s an INFJ; known as the rarest MBTI personality type (less than 2% of the world population had this personality type and only 1% are male).
Even though my formal education is comprised of schooling from seven different colleges and universities, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and over half a dozen data analytics/science certificates, my husband (who only has a high school diploma) is one of the smartest people I’ve ever known. He’s also one of the most introverted people I’ve ever known. The idea that I want to share my personal story with the world is, in his words, “The most foreign thing I can imagine.”
Note: I’m not including his name in this article (or future articles) to respect his privacy.
Both of us are fanatical about learning. We enjoy learning about many of the same topics, but we also have our own passion topics. He is very mechanical minded and loves learning about trucks and cars.
I spend a large portion of my time learning data analysis and data science tools and languages such as SQL, Excel, Tableau, Power BI, and Python (much of my future content on Medium will be articles on my data science journey).
Topics we both enjoy learning include finance/economics, history, current events, diet, health, weightlifting, centenarians, meditation, documentaries, etc. Honestly, I can’t think of a topic we aren’t interested in learning more about; although I’m sure they’re out there.
“Love is the total absence of fear. Love asks no questions. Its natural state is one of extension and expansion, not comparison and measurement.” — Gerald Jampolsky
Some of my favorite memories with my husband are times we teach each other what we’ve been learning independently. We also spend a lot of our free time reading nonfiction books aloud to each other. Our conversations go on for hours, but the best ones are when we stay up all night talking. Even after almost a decade together, we never run out of things to talk about. It’s awesome! 😊
My Dog is My Other Bestie
I’m a dog mom to Odin, a brindle 100-lb mastiff mix. He’s less of a pet and more like my other soulmate. I call him my soul dog. When my husband and I got Odin, he was a 1.5-year-old rescue with almost no training. I couldn’t even take him for a walk because he would literally pull me down.
Early on, we had him on a long-line (i.e. extra-long lease) because he could not be trusted off-lease. He saw a squirrel behind me and before dragging me along (for many feet), he left deep rope burns on the back of my knees. They took more than 2 weeks to heal!
Shortly after this experience we found an amazing local dog training company. It changed everything. I can’t recommend dog training enough. If you have a puppy, start now!
So many dog owners focus solely on physical exercise. Of course, this is an essential and necessary daily activity for your dog. Training, however, is just as important. Working with your dog produces such a strong and wonderful bond. If you don’t have access to a good dog training company, I highly recommend Larry Krohn.
To date, I’ve spent over 700 hours training Odin. We’ve been through basic obedience, agility, advanced off-lease, nose work, tricks, rattlesnake avoidance, trail etiquette, and more. He earned his AKC Canine Good Citizen, Advanced Canine Good Citizen (known as Community Canine), and Urban Canine Good Citizen titles.
The best part is Odin is now certified as my husband’s service dog. My husband is an Iraq combat veteran. Although many veterans strongly identify with their time in the military, he is not one of them (more on that another time).
Some Fun Facts About Me
I know this section usually goes at the end of people’s About Me articles, but I figured if you’ve made it this far you deserve a break. 😉
- I have a large vinyl collection.
- At ages 10 and 12, I completed two 200-mile bike rides called the S.T.P. and R.S.V.P.
- I was classically trained on the violin, but didn’t enjoy playing until I learned fiddle.
- In high school, I was on the Varsity Lightweight Crew.
- My favorite TV shows are Grimm and Orphan Black.
- I was a vegetarian for 7 years. Now, I’m primarily a carnivore.
- When I was weightlifting religiously, I could lift 405 lbs with my calves.
Country Music is in My Soul
I never understood how people could say, “I like all music. Oh, except for country.” My only conclusion is that these folks have never experienced hardship, heartbreak, or they must be listening to the crap played on the radio today. Regardless, if you are one of these people, it means you’ve never heard the acoustic guitar played the right way. Lol
I don’t know what it is, but I feel country like no other music. When I say country, I’m talking old country like Conway Twitty and Don Williams or 1990s and early 2000s country like Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, The Judds, Shania Twain, Aaron Tippin, Travis Tritt, and Dwight Yoakam. I also love outlaw country music: Charlie Daniels, Colt Ford, Waylon Jennings, Jamey Johnson, Aarow Lewis, Moccasin Creek, Dallas Moore, Whiskey Myers, and The Steel Woods. But, my all-time favorite country artist, now and forever, is Johnathan East.
To me, country is, and will always be, the best music genre. It’s simply the only genre that summarizes the entire human experience.
Of course, not all country is equal. The greatest country is a blend of the finest storytelling and musical genius. I understand if the artists I mentioned above aren’t your thing. At least, I’ll try to understand. But, before you go and write off country altogether, my advice is to go listen to Stephen Wilson Jr. If you haven’t heard him yet, you’re in for a real treat. Btw, this is what I mean by playing the acoustic guitar the “right way.” 😁 Check out these songs: “The Devil,” “Cuckoo,” “Grief is Only Love,” and “American Gothic.”
One of my superpowers is finding hidden gems before they hit it big. I swear in another life I was a talent agent. I “discovered” Tyler Childers when his Red Barn videos only had a hundred views or less; same was true for Oliver Anthony, Benjamin Tod, and many more. Anyway, I have that same feeling about Stephen Wilson Jr. As of today, March 15th, his channel has less than 31,000 subscribers and his song “The Devil” only has 3,400 likes. I’ve listened to that one song over 200 times in the last month. Honestly, I haven’t heard a whole album like this in a long time; all 22 songs are exceptional. It’s the kind of music that’s meant to be listened to on vinyl.
In Search of My “Life Passion”
I started taking college courses my freshmen year of high school, and pretty much never stopped. I told you I love to learn.
The number of college credits I’ve amassed is equivalent to four college degrees. I’ve taken courses at seven colleges and universities. Most of the courses fall into one of these categories: business, economics, engineering, or pre-med. The only real constant was math. I love math. I am Asian after all.
This may sound impressive… But, trust me, it’s more a combination of living with ADD and not being able to figure out what the heck I wanted to do with my life. Though I learned A LOT, much of what I learned was insight into the very dark side of higher academics. I’m currently working on a three-part series where I’ll share all the things I uncovered.
What Lead Me to Data Analytics
I was exposed to data analysis in my master’s program. My master’s program debacle will be another article (again, working on it right now lol). I completed two advanced research statistics courses and collaborated with three different professors on four research projects; all of which included collecting and analyzing data. At the time, I didn’t realize data analysis or data science were options for a career.
At the end of my master’s program, my advisor told me he thought I would be very successful in data analysis or data science. He encouraged me to pursue one of these disciplines upon graduation.
My Future Career in Data Analysis/Science
I’ve spent the last six months teaching myself the necessary skills for data analysis such as SQL, Excel, Tableau, Power BI, and Python. I started with Alex Freberg’s Data Analytics Bootcamp on YouTube. If you are starting out in data analysis or interested in learning it, Alex (known as Alex the Analyst) is a fantastic resource.
I progressed to more in-depth SQL, Excel, Power BI, and Python courses on edX at Davidson College and Alex Freberg’s platform Analyst Builder. I’ve become such a fan girl of Alex, I recently signed up to be an affiliate for his platform. If you go to Analyst Builder as a first-timer use this code: ABNEW20OFF to get 20% off! I truly believe this will be the go-to data analytics resource in the future. Alex and the Analyst Builder community are the best! Two other noteworthy resources I’ve frequently encountered on my data analysis/science journey are Annie Nelson (known as Annie Analytics) and Maven Analytics.
I quickly discovered that my advisor was correct. I have a strong propensity for data science. Moreover, it merges all my passions — research/learning, math/science, design/art, finance/economics, and business — into one specialty. I never thought I’d find a career that could satisfy my hunger to learn and keep growing. Yet, here I am.
Future Article Topics
- All things houseplants
- Decluttering & organizing tips
- Dog training advice
- Lessons about marriage
- Life story about my grandfather
- My data science journey
- Takeaways from books I read
- The dark side of higher academics (3-part series)
- What I learned working on 4 graduate research projects
- Woes I’ve experienced living with ADD/ADHD + tips & tricks
Lastly, no matter where you are in life or who you are, I want you to know (burrowed from Kathryn Stockett’s novel The Help):
You is smart, You is kind, You is important.
Thank you for taking the time to read a rather long article about a stranger!
All the light and love to you and yours,
Seyeon
P.S. I’d love to hear your feedback or learn more about YOU. If something in this article reasonates with you, please reach out!
P.P.S. I’m currently building my own website from scratch (learning HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript right now). I should have it up in a month or so. For now, I plan to publish an article (or two) a week. Keep a lookout or even better, subscribe.
