Class of 2027 · KIS Jeju

Hello,
I’m Grace

I like to build things and hand them to real people to try. Lately I’ve been trying to figure out why some sports businesses last and others go broke.

See My Work
Portrait of Grace An
Résumé Scroll to explore

About

Who I Am

Grace in discussion at the UN Youth Future Summit

I grew up in Korea. At thirteen I chose to leave home for boarding school in Jeju, mostly for the nature, classes taught in English, and dorm life. Most of my friends stayed at schools near home.

“Mature and responsible.” “Calm and thoughtful.” “A quiet strength.”

Work

What I Do

01

Making things

With a friend, I designed Opensip, a reusable straw that splits open so you can scrub the inside. In BERA Business Club I help teach basic economics to elementary school kids at a local library.

02

Policy & diplomacy

I represented the U.S. on the UNODC committee at the 2026 UN Youth Future Summit and came home with Premier Delegate. I also serve in Korea’s Youth National Assembly (18th session) and help run our school’s MUN conference.

03

Editing

At Vox Mundi I edit journals sent in by branches at more than ten schools. For a national youth ad contest, three friends and I made a short film about a girl spending her birthday alone with a cake and a phone full of texts. It won a Junior Creator Award.

Early hand-drawn concept sketch of the Opensip straw 3D-printed Opensip prototype halves

Featured venture

Opensip

I kept bringing a tumbler to cafés and then grabbing a plastic straw anyway, because reusable ones never came clean. Opensip splits open along a magnetic seam, so you can wash the inside like a dish. A friend and I sketched it by hand, and our school’s 3D-printing teacher showed us how to turn the sketch into a file we could print.

10cafés testing it
10friends testing it
2pricing ideas in our survey
Read the story

Moments

In the Room

Receiving an award at the 2026 UN Youth Future Summit
The moment they called my name: Premier Delegate at the 2026 UN Youth Future Summit, after three days arguing the U.S. position on drug policy.
BERA Business Club members with their faculty advisor
BERA Business Club, the week our economics journal went to print.
Volleyball varsity team photo
Varsity volleyball. As libero, my job was diving for the balls nobody else could reach.
UNESCO GEC Club group photo at a security forum, June 2025
With UNESCO GEC Club near the DMZ, before a day surveying the Imjin River biosphere reserve. June 2025.
Team in front of a whiteboard
An hour of ideas on one whiteboard. We kept maybe three of them.
Students working on laptops
The night before a deadline: four laptops, one shared doc.
10Cafés testing Opensip
5Awards
6AP exams scored 5
34Sources in my esports paper

Writing

Notes & Research

Students working on research

Research · Summer 2026

Anchorless: why esports teams keep collapsing

Read more →
Opensip prototype

Venture · In progress

Opensip: a straw that opens all the way

Read more →
“Ask Us” kiosk guide pamphlet held up in front of a café’s ordering kiosk

S.P.A.R.K. · Community

Order with Dignity: a kiosk guide for older customers

Pamphlets and stickers that walk customers through five ordering steps, now in 400+ restaurants and cafés.

Let’s Talk

If you run a café and want to try Opensip, or you just want to talk about sports business, send me an email.

syan27@kis.ac

Jeju, South Korea

Say Hello