A Priofile of Minjeong Kang

Teaching is said to be one the most rewarding jobs, and for Dr. Minjeong Kang that does not fail. 

There have been times when she questioned whether teaching was what she was meant to do.  There have been times when she has been discouraged and felt unappreciated.  However, teaching for Kang is still rewarding even when she can’t please every student and has received “super mean” and even humiliating comments from students. 

“I am fascinated to be in a position to help college students become professionals in an industry that I love,” said Kang.  She said she truly admires her students and really makes an effort to help each one.

 “She’s a great professor, and really tries to push us to our full potential not only in academics but in our lives as well,” said her student Pablo Mendoza, 23, Apparel Marketing and Design, CSUS. 

 When Kang is not teaching or working, she loves to go dancing.  Ballet, Ballroom, and Salsa: Kang loves it all.  Another hobby of Kang’s is to sing.  She especially enjoys singing to cheesy love songs.

In the last two years though, she has been so busy adjusting to Sacramento and her job as Assistant Professor and Faculty Advisor that she has not been out on the town.  As soon as possible, she would love to revisit her hobbies.   

Kang was born on August 20th, but refused to state her age, or even the year of her birth.  However, she does appear youthful with her bright brown eyes and long, dark, wavy hair.  In class Kang is often over-looked because she blends in with her students.   

 Her voice is soft and low, and she has a tendency to be shy. However, Kang is hard-working, confident and strong, putting all her passion into teaching.  One example of her strengths is her ability to wear heels all day, every day; not just any woman can accomplish this.             

Kang was born to Daemin Kang and Sookhee Heo in Busan, South Korea.  She speaks her native language Korean and was taught to speak English in middle school which is a requirement for students in Korea.

A defining moment in her life was during summer vacation after her first year of high school when she realized her career goal and dream of working in the fashion industry while discussing it with her parents.  She later attended Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, Korea and graduated in 2002 with B.A. in Clothing and Textiles.

She earned her M.S. and PhD in Design, Housing and Apparel at University of Minnesota in St. Paul, Minnesota.  A PhD earned in America is viewed as highly prestigious in South Korea so Kang moved across the Atlantic Ocean in order to do so.

Kang’s original goal was to earn her PhD here in the United States then return to South Korea and teach there.  But, when she graduated from University of Minnesota in 2008 there was an opportunity here at CSU Sacramento. 

“After 5 years studying here, I didn’t want to leave America,” said Dr. Kang. 

Kang’s first job, during college, was as a part time visual merchandiser in South Korea to financially help her parents.  During her last year at Ewha Kang was a clothing designer and continued this for a year and a half.  Now she has her teaching position at CSU Sacramento. 

While she is currently single, Kang does hope to soon be married, but will not say if she has a boyfriend or not.  Ideally in the future she would love to have two children, one boy and one girl she says. 

Kang has also done research in post-purchase consumer behavior, mood regulatory consumption, retail environments, customer loyalty, as well as social psychological aspects of dress.  The classes she teaches at CSU Sacramento include History of Fashion, Quality Analysis of Apparel, and Fashion Illustration.

Kang said she does not want to lose or give up her teaching position but she would love to make the time to either design for another company, or ideally design for her own line of clothing.  Sometime in the future, not sure exactly when but eventually, Kang would love to design again. 

One of her inspirations for designing is so she can share her experience and knowledge with her students to help them learn about the industry. 

Kang wants her students to realize that they are in “a lot better position to be more competitive professionals because they don’t have to spend so much time and money learning English.”  She further went on to say that if she did not have to spend so much money and time on learning English she probably could have went to a school like Stanford