Graduating from the 2-year International Business MBA (IBMBA) program at National Sun
Yat-sen University (NSYSU) in 2021, Elon Bar-Lev was no stranger to Taiwan. In fact, Elon
previously lived in Kaohsiung back in 2000 together with his family and had many fond
memories of the city. Even after he parted ways with Kaohsiung to complete his 3-year
national service in Israel and his bachelor’s degree in Business and Asian Studies, a part of
him still yearns to revisit this beautiful place. Combined with his love for Kaohsiung and
wanting to learn more about the Mandarin language, he applied and was awarded a 1-year
Hanyu MOE Scholarship for Chinese Language Studies, and came back to Kaohsiung,
studying at the NSYSU’s Chinese Language Center. During his 1-year study, he then
applied to NSYSU’s IBMBA program and was given a placement. He also attained another
scholarship for his master’s study at NSYSU.

A fulfilling experience in NSYSU
During his time at NSYSU, apart from attending lectures, he also makes good use of his free
time to participate in co-curricular activities such as the NSYSU’s International Program
Dragon Boat team. Started as a rower on the team during his 1 st year, Elon later became the
Assistant Coach during the 2 nd year, and eventually took on the role as the team’s Head
Coach in his 3 rd and final year. He has also actively participated in various events organized
by NSYSU’s College of Management that help assimilate international students coming to
NSYSU, and many other academic-related or career-related seminars that provide their
students an edge. A good example would be career talks from industry professionals from
different fields which offer students a better understanding of their dream career. During one
of the fall semesters, through the support and connection from the College of Management,
he also took on a 4-month internship at PATTA International Limited. Participating in all
these activities and lectures helped Elon to build many new and lasting connections with not
just his classmates, but also his schoolmates. These opportunities exposed him to people
from all around the world and this helped to build his cultural awareness, which is a valuable
skill in a highly globalized world.

The transition from a graduate to a working adult in Taiwan
With the knowledge and skills he attained through the IBMBA program, he landed himself a
job as a Marketing Specialist in a start-up two months before his graduation. However,
things were not as smooth as he hoped. Due to capital restraints, he was eventually let go

just a few months into his job. But thankfully, he managed to find a job in his current
company as a Sales and E-commerce Specialist and was eventually promoted to Channel
Sales Manager after a few months given his outstanding performance. To some, going
through such an experience can be frightening. But for Elon who lived by two mottos “all
things happen for a reason” and “irregularity is a good thing”, such experience helped shape
who he is today. Don’t be beat down because things did not go according to plan. Instead,
smile and brave through the storm.

Personal thoughts
“I couldn’t have imagined being in the place I’m in 1 year ago, and I’m all the better for it.
And being irregular is a good thing because regular is boring”.