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Grand Marshall Yul Kwon Survivor Cook Islands Winner
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Yul Kwon has enjoyed a diverse career in law, politics, business, technology, and media. Yul obtained his B.S. degree in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and received the James Lyons Award for Service. At Yale Law School, he earned his J.D. and served on the editorial board of the Yale Law Journal. Over the next several years, Yul clerked on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals and practiced law at two firms. As a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate, Yul helped draft portions of the Homeland Security Act, authored a landmark bill on nanotechnology, and organized a bipartisan caucus on science and technology. He then transitioned into the business sector, becoming a management consultant at McKinsey & Company before joining Google's business operations and strategy group.
In 2006, Yul won the hit CBS reality show, Survivor: Cook Islands. On his way to winning the show’s controversial, racially-segregated season, Yul applied the leadership and political skills he developed over his career to create a multi-ethnic alliance and break stereotypes about Asian Americans in the media. In 2007, he was voted the all-time favorite Survivor winner in a poll by Entertainment Weekly for his strategic and honest gameplay.
Yul recent activities include lecturing at the FBI Academy as well as speaking on the topic of leadership, team-building, and diversity at companies and universities around the country. He continues to be active in the media, having worked as a host for the Discovery Channel and as a special correspondent for CNN. He is also the Northern California franchisee for Red Mango frozen yogurt, one of the fastest-growing retail brands in the country.
In addition to being recognized by more than fifty organizations for his extensive work in community service, Yul has been profiled in VIBE Magazine's annual "Juice" issue of people with power, as well as People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive issue. He is active in a wide range of charitable efforts and serves on the advisory boards of several civil rights organizations, including the Asian American Justice Center and Washington, DC chapter of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
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