Sang Ik Hahn Story

Sang Ik Hahn arrived in the United States in 1974 with a wife and three children, $8,000 in his pocket and dreams of a better life. Two years later, having studied in Texas and earned a master’s degree from UW-River Falls, he was down to $2,000, but he was confident that what he'd learned would make those dreams come true. More than 30 years later, he’s lived the American Dream because of UWRF.  

"I owe my success in business to this campus," Hahn said. 

After earning his degree, Hahn selected the newly burgeoning Silicon Valley area as a home base for his operations and invested in an apartment complex. Working 16-hour-a-day as the apartments’ gardener, maintenance man, painter, manager and promoter, he was able to sell the complex for a $300,000 profit. Hahn developed a formula for success in the real estate business that would allow him to eventually share the wealth he had accumulated.

Born in 1938 in Japanese-occupied Korea, his early years were filled with struggle and uncertainty as his war-torn country became the frontline of the Cold War. During the Korean War, separated from his family, the teenage Hahn battled for daily survival in the streets of Seoul. The war impoverished the country, but Hahn managed to complete high school, work to save money, earn a college degree and become a high school teacher. For years he harbored a desire to come to the United States for additional education and more opportunity for his children. Finally, in 1974, he brought his wife and young children to River Falls and delved into his graduate program in economics. It was hard work.

“I used all I learned here,” Hahn said. “I owe my success in business to this campus. I used what I learned here to devise a business plan. I don't have any magic. And I’m not all that smart. I just kept reinvesting. It may sound a bit funny, but it works. I've proved that this is the land of opportunity.”

In response to his success, Hahn has devoted more and more of his time to sharing the wealth he has accumulated.

"Because I owe so much to the United States and UW-River Falls, I'd like to return some of my wealth," he said. 

Hahn has given generously to UWRF because he hopes to create a greater focus on international students and globalization. His philanthropy has extended beyond UWRF and the United States, to include hundreds of orphans in Papua New Guinea, the “street boys” of Manila in the Philippines, a hospital in South Korea and a generous gift to World Vision for tsunami relief.

Sang Hahn, '75

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