Graduate School
한*욱 Columbia Graduate School Sustainable Management 합격
From Invisible Air to an Unshakable Purpose
The student was the kind of student many graduate admissions offices might overlook.
A 2.8 GPA from a rigorous program. No research. No awards. No clear narrative.
But when he came to OPUS, he brough something else: a memory of running through polluted streets in Seoul, lungs burning behind an N95 mask and a quiet, persistent desire to fix it.
We worked with him to extract a compelling story and turn it into impact. Together, we launched SMAP (Sustainable Modular Air Purifier): a low-cost, energy-efficient air purification system for schools in high-pollution zones. What mad e SMAP stand out was its scientific credibility and scalable design: modular hardware with real-time AQI sensors, HEPA and UV-C filters, optimized for rapid deployment. With our help, he partnered with Room to Read, secured corporate sponsorships and distributed over 1,000 units to schools across India and Southeast China.
But SMAP revealed something more: even strong tech can fail without the right financial models, policies, and systems. The student realized that solving environmental issues requires more than invention: it demands holistic design. With our guidance, eh shifted his graduate school strategy from climate tech to sustainability management.
We helped him pivot from a student with isolated experiences into a market-aware, systems-driven innovator. He didn’t just reflect on what went wrong. He proposed how to make it right.
In his Statement of Purpose, he introduced the concept of a Modular ESS Integration System data-driven framework allowing companies to map, implement, and scale ESG initiative based on regional climate risk, operational constraints, and real time performance. This wasn’t theoretical. It emerged from lessons learned through SMAP and from analyzing ERCOT’s collapse under climate stress.
He argued modular ESS must be adaptable to different sectors and regions just like SMAP.
He argued modular ESS must be adaptable to different sectors and regions just like SMAP. His framework integrated carbon modeling, lifecycle analysis, stakeholder alignment, and policy linked execution plans to strengthen his vision.
OPUS team helped him frame his setbacks as foresight.