Investing in Yourself & Helping the World

Jieun Park loved her time teaching English while living in Korea. But she knew it wouldn’t be easy to continue doing that when she moved to Buffalo in 2016 while studying for her MBA. 

A car accident in the winter of 2019 sparked another reevaluation of her career path. She started reading about artificial intelligence and augmented reality – inspiring her to develop mobile apps, participate in machine learning competitions and complete various certifications on her own. 

Jieun Park, Director of Business Intelligence, BestSelf.

“I wanted to learn about big data, which led me to taking machine learning courses,” says Jieun, 42. “That’s when I realized it’d be beneficial to learn the basics, so I went back to school for a computer science degree and learned about project management because that plays a big part in software development.” 

Today, Jieun is combining her passions for technology, data analysis and social impact at BestSelf Behavioral Health. She was elevated to the role of Director of Business Intelligence in September 2023 after a three-and-a-half-year growth path from Office Manager to Quality Improvement Project Manager to Business Intelligence Analyst. 

Jieun manages databases, writes queries to generate staff reports and develops intuitive dashboards to assist the administrative staff in making insightful business decisions for an innovative organization that provides evidence-based social services. 

“At first I did not think I’d be qualified due to the length of tenure in the department, but also partially because I had a bit of imposter syndrome,” she says. “But because I had the skills, I took on several agency-wide projects where I could use my data manipulation and project management skills. The more I completed tasks and kept showing my ability, the more confident I became.” 

Jieun learned to appreciate that her time spent investing in herself has personally paid off. Now it’s about paying it forward. 

“I have a big vision and hope that I can build something and bring value to the world, especially marginalized populations,” she says. “With tech evolving, there’s more chances and opportunities to help people.”