[Interview] Meeting the Leinners at Mondragon University’s LEINN Seoul Lab (Part 4)

 Over the past three installments, we shared an in-depth interview with Team Coach Yena Lee of Mondragon University’s LEINN Seoul Lab, exploring the overarching story of LEINN, the unique strengths and atmosphere of the Seoul Lab, and its distinctive educational model. But what does actual day-to-day life look like for the students (Leinners) enrolled here? What led them to make the unconventional decision to choose LEINN over a traditional university?

 

Following my conversation with Coach Lee, I met two students who are leading exceptionally busy routines even during their school break. They offered candid, firsthand reflections on why they chose LEINN and how their learning here has reshaped their lives.

 

*(Note: Throughout this article, students are referred to as 'Leinners.')*

 

The Leinners who kindly took part in the interview:  Badi (left) and Robin (right) (Photo by Milly)

Interviewees:

🌿Robin Han (Nickname: 'Robin'), 3rd-year Leinner

🍀Yuchan Lee (Nickname: 'Badi'), 3rd-year Leinner

 

Q: Hello. Could each of you briefly introduce yourselves?

 

🌿Robin: We are currently third-year Leinners at LEINN Seoul Lab and teammates working together in a team called 'InIn Cooperative.' My name is Robin Han, and my team nickname is 'Robin.'

 

🍀Badi: My name is Yuchan Lee, and my team nickname is 'Badi.'

 

Q: You mentioned that you work together within a team called 'InIn Cooperative.' Could you share a bit more detail about the initiatives you run?

 

🌿Robin: Rather than having the entire team work on just one single business item, our team is currently running around four distinct project lines. We run ventures in four areas: an independent bag and fashion brand, a kitchen data solution, video content marketing, and operations management for foreign/expat communities in Korea. InIn Cooperative is the shared cooperative enterprise where these various projects come together.

 

Q: I understand the LEINN curriculum includes international exchanges and global field trips. Stepping outside of Korea to experience international social impact ecosystems firsthand, what was the most memorable learning or insight for each of you?

 

🍀Badi: What left the deepest impression on me was the sheer energy of the peers at the lab when we visited Spain. (As a note, we call our school campuses 'Labs.') When we visit a lab, they introduce themselves on the first day, explaining what projects they run and how they generate revenue. Their attitude and posture during those presentations were unforgettable. You could see how intensely passionate they were about their projects, and they answered every question without missing a beat. At that moment, I thought to myself: "To run a project properly, you need to reach that level of mastery."

 

What I learned hands-on happened in my first year while running a living-support platform project for foreign residents in Korea. As part of that initiative, I was conducting interviews with international residents. During my first visit to the Madrid Lab, I walked from office to office across the building, pitching our project in English, and ultimately secured an interview on-site in Madrid. Through that experience, I realized that abroad is a completely different environment from Korea, and nothing happens unless you proactively put yourself in motion. It taught me that even if things are not fully polished, taking immediate action matters far more than waiting for perfection, as long as you have a clear goal and a distinct purpose to connect with others.

 

🌿Robin: We travel to Spain, and Spanish peers also visit Korea. Whenever we run joint sessions with them, discussing, debating, and dialoguing comes completely naturally to them. Within that attitude, they never hesitate to speak candidly.

 

In LEINN, we place huge importance on peer feedback, and offering direct feedback is one of the hardest adjustments when Korean students first enter as first-year Leinners. Typically, people might say, "It would be great if you improved this aspect," but even that is often heavily cushioned. In reality, complaints or visible flaws arise, but Koreans are culturally less accustomed to speaking openly about them. As a result, I had to train myself in that regard. In contrast, for our Spanish peers, delivering clear, candid thoughts and feedback is not just something taught at LEINN; it is fundamentally part of their culture. When that cultural trait aligns with LEINN’s educational methodology, you clearly see how open, unrestricted exchanges of ideas can truly happen. My experience was very similar when visiting Germany as well. Seeing how they approached problem-solving made me realize just how vital a culture of active, candid dialogue really is.

 

Q: Through your time at LEINN, has your perspective on the world or your self-confidence shifted? How has your experience at LEINN influenced your career path and overall attitude toward life?

 

🍀Badi: Before LEINN, I was someone who wouldn't take action unless someone prompted me from the outside. I lacked perseverance and had very limited drive. After entering LEINN, however, I made intentional efforts to take initiative on my own. As I put that into practice and saw real results, those experiences became tangible proof that built my self-confidence. And I believe this wasn't something I could have achieved alone. The methodology requires working forward alongside teammates, continuously reflecting and questioning how an individual should exist and contribute within the team. Having that pedagogical structure embedded in our daily work served as the foundation that solidified my self-assurance.

 

Also, because I was previously inactive, in terms of my career, LEINN played a massive role in pushing me into real execution and expanding my scope of action. Having peers who actively move forward, motivate one another, and build shared momentum helped drive that. LEINN catalyzed that shift. Before joining, ideas remained abstract thoughts in my head; nowadays, I constantly see those concepts materializing right before my eyes. In terms of my life attitude, the biggest shift is taking autonomous ownership of my life in both thought and action. Navigating this micro-society within LEINN brings constant changes and real pressures, but because it is a space where you continuously ask how to act and contribute to the team, it enabled real action and helped me live authentically as myself.

 

🌿Robin: Speaking from my perspective, I believe that in the very near future, conventional university education in Korea will completely lose its competitive edge. Learning only secondhand knowledge without direct experience will become obsolete. Lately, I feel that a 'guaranteed safe path' no longer exists. The dividing line—where attending a conventional, prestigious university is considered a safe choice while choosing LEINN is viewed as a reckless gamble—has largely dissolved. The real dilemma now is: *where, what, and how should we learn?*

 

As I mentioned earlier, learning without direct experience feels pointless. The defining element of LEINN is its focus on experiential learning. As our coach often quotes: you don't learn marketing from a textbook; you learn marketing by actually doing marketing. In the end, you learn things because you need them right now; learning something first and only then figuring out where to apply it gets the sequence backward. I chose LEINN precisely because it maximizes real-world experience. As Badi mentioned, having the autonomy to design your own learning in an environment where self-direction is maximized is its greatest merit. Every year, we co-design our year-long learning roadmap with our team coaches, taking a hard look at what we want to achieve over the year, pursuing efficiency, learning what is truly essential to us, and diving into varied hands-on experiments.

 

My strengths and convictions grew stronger because LEINN provides a space where you can share ideas transparently, listen freely to alternative viewpoints, and realize there are people who genuinely back what you believe in. Our current culture revolves around continuously reflecting on ourselves and our team. We constantly assess where we are heading and where we want to go. I feel like we are constantly replenishing stagnant waters with fresh, clean streams to keep moving forward.

 

Q: What advice or message would you like to share with young changemakers around the world who share similar dilemmas and are looking to start their own impact projects?

 

🌿Robin: I regularly facilitate entrepreneurship education programs for adolescents, and many middle and high school students attend our campus open houses. What I always tell them is that they have far more time than they think. Many people believe that any time spent not studying for exams is a waste, but that is simply not true. I spent plenty of time exploring unconventional paths, and I never viewed it as a waste. It is time invested in gaining experience. As mentioned earlier, we are entering an era where you cannot truly know something unless you have experienced it yourself. Therefore, gain as much hands-on experience as possible, and do it alongside people. If you have an idea or conviction, working alone can be fun, but real momentum begins when you meet and converse with peers who share similar perspectives.

 

The slogan of our youth education program within our social change vertical is: "Change begins not with answers, but with questions." I encourage you to seek out environments where you can ask plenty of questions. Our work at LEINN is entirely question-driven: What do we enjoy? What excites us most? What meaningful challenges do we want to tackle? If you train that questioning muscle, that alone is a wonderful foundation.

 

🍀Badi: When people hear terms like 'impact project' or 'changemaker,' they often feel they need to deliver a massive statement to society. But the bigger a question or problem feels, the more likely you are to hesitate at the execution stage. People fall into the trap of thinking everything must be perfect, and that without perfection, nothing significant can grow.

 

However, I believe small actions create substantial change. Those daily steps accumulate to generate significant impact. Even if you are not perfect right now, as long as your overarching direction and destination are clearly defined, trust that path. By celebrating the small milestones along the way and repeatedly training toward what you genuinely want to achieve, the opportunity to deliver profound impact and experience meaningful accomplishments will inevitably follow.

 

Leinners in action (Photo courtesy of Mondragon University LEINN Seoul Lab)

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Do you have questions about Mondragon University’s LEINN Seoul Lab?

 

We value your curiosity. If you have specific questions about the LEINN Seoul Lab, please send them to [Email Address]. We will gather your inquiries and address them in a follow-up interview.