About Hunter: Born and raised in Pasadena, Hunter studied Informatics and Sociology at the University of Washington in Seattle before spending five years as a Consultant at Veeva Systems, where he built deep experience in public speaking, project management, and client delivery. At Anderson, he is looking to pivot into tech outside of the life sciences, building on his background with an upcoming summer internship at Amazon as a Senior Program Manager. Outside the classroom, he is usually going on a run, exploring a new restaurant in LA, or spending time with his family.

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Going into my MBA, I had heard that the international trips were always one of the best experiences. But not until I actually went on one did I truly believe it.

During winter quarter, there is a real buzz and excitement that builds around these trips. Anderson students take them seriously, with full student-organized treks to places like Japan, Taiwan, Bali, and Colombia, packed with activities and experiences you simply cannot get anywhere else. Second years and alumni always say these trips were one of their favorite experiences in the whole program. I knew that if I did not go on one in my first year I would regret it.

I chose the Korea trip because I had already been to Japan  and wanted to visit another popular Asian country. I also wanted to experience the culture and authentic foods I already love back in LA like bibimbap, Korean BBQ, and everything in between, but in the place they actually come from. It was the second-largest trip this year, with about 40 classmates across the Full-Time and FEMBA programs signing up.

What made this trip special from the start was that it was led by my classmates who were born and raised in Korea. Working alongside a travel agency, they put together a jam-packed itinerary that gave us access to the best version of Korea, the perfect mix of culture, nightlife, food, and everything MBA students would want to experience. That authenticity came through every single day.

Busan set the tone immediately. It was also where I got to meet many of my fellow trekkers for the first time, which was one of the highlights in itself. Forty students consisting of Full-Timers and FEMBAs, all showing up excited for the same adventure. Walking through the street food stalls that first night, you are surrounded by sights and smells unlike anything back in LA. Vendors grilling skewers, people crowded around food stalls, and live sea eels being prepared right in front of you on the counter before hitting the grill. It is one of those moments you thought you would only ever see on a YouTube food video, happening right in front of you. We also stayed at the Grand Josun Busan, a stunning five-star beachfront resort where the gym hands you a fresh change of clothes when you walk in. Busan alone was worth the trip.

From Busan we made our way to Gyeongju, and this was where the trip got unexpectedly meaningful. Korea is one of the great underdog stories in world history, a country that faced centuries of hardship and invasion and yet has emerged as one of the most remarkable economic success stories of the modern era. Walking through ancient temples and royal tombs, you could feel the weight of that history all around you.

Then Seoul, and Seoul delivered on every level. The highlights are hard to rank but easy to remember: the sunset yacht party on the harbor with the city lit up around us, exploring Myeongdong’s street food scene until we had eaten far more than we planned, Korean BBQ in Itaewon at midnight in a city that genuinely never shuts down, and a private farewell party to close out the week that felt like the perfect ending to something genuinely great. We stayed at The Shilla, which is without a doubt one of the nicest hotels I have ever been in. It is the kind of place where you understand why A-list celebrities choose to stay there, and we made the most of it by hitting the famous buffet and unwinding in the sauna after long days out in the city. After the main trip wrapped, some classmates had also signed up for the Jeju extension and stayed on for another three days, while the rest of us headed home.

Spending a week together with my classmates navigating a new country together accelerated friendships that would have taken months to build on campus. I came home energized and genuinely ready for spring quarter in a way I had not expected. This has been one of, if not the best, highlights of my Anderson experience so far, and I am already looking forward to going back to Korea one day.

If you are a first-year Full-Time MBA student thinking about doing an international trip, do it. You will not regret it.

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Student Blogger: Hunter Francia ’27
Undergrad:University of Washington, Seattle ’20
Pre-MBA: Consultant at Veeva Systems
Leadership@Anderson: VP of Admissions, Tech Business Association, VP of Community, Southeast Asian Student Association, Director of Prospective Student Affairs, Admissions Ambassador Corps