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Get to Know Eli… 

When did you join Grok?
6th June 2022, a very lucky date in Chinese culture. 

Describe yourself in three words.
Reliable, Flexible, Proactive

What were you doing before working at Grok?
Before joining Grok, I spent more than ten years as a media staff and chief editor for a TV Network, Travel Channel China and a well-known content streaming platform called iQIYI. During that time, I was responsible for many commercial projects with multinational partners; in the last two years, I have transitioned to become an International Marketing Manager to promote iQIYI in Southeast Asia, North America and MENA, and have been responsible for many multinational mega projects, including Chinese dramas, reality shows and Korean dramas.

What was your first job in education?
This is my first job in education.

What does international education mean for you?

From my perspective, besides academic experiences, the process of building a worldview is a big meaning of international education.

What is something interesting you have learned while working at Grok?

A united awareness of a profession and enthusiasms can eliminate the distractions of locations, languages, cultures and even time differences.

What is one of the most satisfying outcomes you’ve helped a client to achieve?
During my time at TV Network, I received positive feedback from Canadian travel agents on my work with Destination Canada: many Chinese tourists coming to Canada were visiting the places featured in the program, which made me feel that my work was accomplishing my client’s goals and promoting Canadian tourism in China.

Why is it important for institutions to have a presence in Asia?
There is a huge difference between the East and the West at all levels, whether in terms of cultural aspects, consumer mentality, or educational mentality. It is a huge job to make up for this knowledge in a short period of time.

Asian presence (like Grok) is well versed in the Asian consumer mentality of education and also understands the Western international education system. We can quickly fill in the gaps in East-West knowledge and keep the institute’s professional image in the Asian market.

What is your favourite movie/book?

Our Little Sister by Hirokazu Koreeda

To be honest, I love all of Hirokazu Koreeda’s work. 

What is your dream travel destination? Why?
As a world traveller, my travel dream is really diverse.

I love both the tropical buzz (like Thailand or the Caribbean) and the cool inner peace (like the mountain provinces of Canada or Finland). 

What is your favourite food to eat with friends?
It has to be Korean barbecue

What is a something you’ve learned from somebody inspirational?
I have been fortunate that my ten years of working life have allowed me to meet many professional people who love what they do. I have always been able to keep finding different aspects of their dedication in many people, and this has been very rewarding.

What was your favourite subject at high school or university?
I have always enjoyed comparative cultural studies.

During college I majored in media and one of the courses I took was Comparative Studies of Chinese and Foreign Television Programs. This course used a comparative studies perspective to compare television programs from China, England, the United States, France, and Japan using general television theory. It allowed me to experience different forms of presentation under one theory combined with different national conditions.