Meet Stephanie Tang

What surprises Stephanie Tang most about the Sydney office of Weldon Owen is how diverse the culture is. "One of my co-workers says we're like the UN," says Tang. She is participating in the GROW program, working for three months as a designer for Weldon Owen's Discovery Education books. Tang's regular job is at Weldon Owen Inc. in San Francisco, where she has worked for the past three and a half years as a senior designer.

The challenge of being in a different country includes differences inside and outside the office. "The biggest difference between the San Francisco and Sydney office is the size of their production department," says Tang.  "Handling all of their co-edition clients takes a small army." But it was that cultural difference that Tang was looking for.

"The main reason I applied for GROW is because I knew it would be a great opportunity to explore design outside of the States," Tang says. "I've learned that stepping outside of my comfort zone and venturing off to live in a foreign land was one of the best decisions I've ever made."

And the decision to go has been full of great memories for Tang. "My best memory so far was enjoying a hot serving of fresh fish and chips outside the Sydney Fish Market and having a seagull swoop down and steal a chip off my platter."
 
Tang highly recommends others to apply for GROW. "It's a life changing experience and I feel so fortunate to have been able to be a part of this program. What's holding you back? If you don't apply, you're missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime! I promise you will not regret it."