What if life kept knocking you down before you could catch your breath? That is what happened to Joshua Han.
He was rejected from his undergraduate business programme at UC Berkeley, went through an emotionally turbulent startup experience, and was laid off from his first job out of college when the tech bubble burst soon after. In his mid-twenties, he faced a colorectal cancer scare, only to be hit with a round of rejections during the 2023 MBA application cycle. Each chapter felt like another reminder that nothing was guaranteed.
Still, he pressed on. He focused on learning from every misstep and kept building toward the future he wanted, even when progress felt slow. That persistence eventually opened doors that once seemed shut for good. Today, his determination has taken him to Columbia Business School, one of the world’s leading institutions.
“A lot of people didn’t think I could do it, and there were plenty of reasons why it shouldn’t have worked out,” Han says. “But I took my losses in stride and kept putting myself out there. My story doesn’t end unless I put down the pen, so I chose to keep writing and taking big bets on myself. I’m a big Tolkien nerd, and as Gandalf once told Bilbo Baggins before going off on his adventure, ‘You’ll have a tale or two to tell once you come back.’”
Han was raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles after moving there with his parents at age three, where he lived until leaving for college at 18. Source: Joshua Han
Pivoting from one dream to a whole new direction
Han was born in Korea, and when he was 3, his family settled in Los Angeles, California. Inspired by his grandfather’s career as a surgeon, he began exploring a career in medicine, founding the Future Doctors Association at his high school and interning in the emergency room at Kaiser Permanente Hospital.
At UC Berkeley, volunteering to help set up a medical clinic in Nicaragua shifted everything. As he worked with local doctors to treat patients in rural communities, he realised a career as a medical practitioner didn’t get him close enough to the broader, systemic issues that affect human health. He became drawn to the idea of tackling challenges at a broader level, which led him toward a business career.
“I was keen on joining UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, but I soon realised that at UC Berkeley, getting into the undergraduate business programme was extremely difficult,” he says. “Many students arrived at school already knowledgeable about business career paths, and some had parents who could open doors for them early on .”
As an immigrant and a first-generation Korean American, Han lacked that kind of support and had to figure out each step on his own.
“Growing up without that kind of education and support made me feel like I was completely behind, and it severely affected my self-confidence,” he says. “After not being accepted into the Haas undergraduate business programme, I had to step back, reflect, and figure out how to differentiate myself moving forward after what felt like an early defeat.”
Eventually, he chose to major in Political Science at UC Berkeley, where he could gain a deeper understanding of the geopolitical forces that can influence critical business decisions.
Han graduated from UC Berkeley in 2019. Source: Joshua Han
Career setbacks and an unexpected health scare
Han began his career in business during his senior year at Berkeley.
After brainstorming new ways to consume caffeine with a friend, the two made a handshake agreement to create a caffeinated-chocolate startup. In the short span of a year, they bootstrapped out of Han’s college apartment, executed a successful crowdfunding campaign, and raised venture capital. The incredible growth, however, came with growing pains.
“That’s when disagreements arose regarding marketing strategies and the long-term vision for the company,” Han says. “Our perspectives on business and in life differed significantly, and I realised I wanted to build a career that better reflected my values and identity. So, I decided to leave.”
After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2019, Han leveraged his experience as a builder to secure a product management role. He joined Western Digital Corporation, a global leader in digital data storage solutions, where he led cross-functional teams in launching data storage devices for gamers and content creators.
For a few years, things were progressing smoothly. However, he would soon face his next set of challenges: layoffs and a health scare.
When the tech bubble burst in late 2022 and early 2023, Han was laid off from his role as a senior product manager at Western Digital. Soon after, he travelled to Korea to visit his family and consider next steps. While there, he also took advantage of the country’s excellent and affordable healthcare system.
“Although I wasn’t expecting any serious issues, doctors suggested I get a colonoscopy after I mentioned chronic pain in my stomach,” he says. “I was very lucky I did.”
The exam revealed polyps in his colon, which doctors cautioned could develop into colorectal cancer. At the age of 25, Han realised he had been carrying a serious health risk that could have become life-threatening if left untreated. “Discovering it early was a profound moment that made me feel extremely fortunate,” he says.
Despite the health scare and job layoff, Han continued to move forward, driven by the belief that things would improve. Source: Joshua Han
Persistence pays off
After his health scare, Han began considering an MBA. In an interesting twist of fate, recognising the preciousness of life and facing his own mortality at an early age had re-ignited his passion for making a positive impact on human health.
Although he hadn’t secured a full-time role aligned with his interests, Han saw business school as a way to strengthen his resume and buy two credible years to explore options, seek mentorship, pursue internships, and re-enter the workforce. He knew that pivoting into venture capital or returning to a startup would be difficult after such an abrupt career disruption.
So, in the fall of 2023, he applied to four schools: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, and Columbia. Nothing landed. “I think nothing worked out for me in 2023 applications because I sought advice from so many people who all had different perspectives, and I ended up confused about how I should tell my own story,” he says.
Han reapplied in 2024, and this time, he was accepted to Columbia Business School.
“Oh man, I remember just crying, honestly,” he says. “Growing up as an immigrant Asian kid, going to an Ivy League school had always been a personal dream. As I got older and realised I had spent my entire life living in a bubble in California, the idea of living in New York, where I can meet new friends, rebuild my career, and take in diverse new perspectives, began to fascinate me. The acceptance felt like so many dreams coming true at once.”
Han started his MBA at Columbia Business School in August 2025 and is now beginning his second semester. He feels lucky to be in New York, a city with a fast and vibrant consumer market and a strong presence of health-focused companies.
Wrapping up his thoughts, Han says, “I’m using my time at Columbia to learn more about venture capital and startups, and exploring how I can combine that with my ultimate goal of helping people live longer and healthier lives.”
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