Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Staten.
Hi Ashley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I grew up in church in a single-parent home but was blessed to have a good childhood. Throughout my life, I have always been interested in meeting new people, experiencing new places, and learning about other cultures. While in school, I always had a diverse friend group and many friends who were also international students. After graduating from GRCHS in 2017, I decided to study International Business at Davenport University. I spent much of my time in extracurricular activities and served as the president of the Global Student Organization for a year. While in college, I studied abroad at Pusan National University in Busan, South Korea in the fall of 2019. Throughout my time in college, I was also a part of a KPop dance group. We performed at the Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival in 2018 and 2019. We also planned many KPop meetups in the city together.
After the Pandemic, I noticed the community of KPop lovers has grown exponentially and there are so many people who love the genre but have not had the opportunities like I’ve had to meet others who have the same interests. This is why I created RAL Entertainment. To organize social events and build a community of those who are also interested in the Hallyu wave (wave of Korean pop culture).
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the toughest challenges I had to face was getting a call that my father unexpectedly passed away while I was studying in South Korea. This was not only hard grieving the loss of a loved one while on the other side of the world, but it was also a very trying time dealing with culture shock and an accumulation of other things. As a black girl studying in a homogeneous society, there were days when I felt lonely or overwhelmed with school work, but I knew my father would be proud to know that I not only stuck it out but also took that time to make connections with others and growing to become a stronger person than before.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about RAL Entertainment?
RAL Entertainment is an event planning organization. My goal is to create a community for fans of Korean Entertainment. I plan KPop meetups, parties, pop-up shops, cup sleeve events, and more! I reach out to local businesses who make and sell KPop merch to vend at events as well. We meet, dance, play, and have fun. It is my hope that everyone feels the Hallyu wave.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Taking risks requires a lot of confidence and belief in yourself. When planning these events, I have to take a chance when booking venues, buying supplies and gifts, as well as reaching out to others, and marketing my events. But with these risks, I am confident and believe that people will buy tickets and show up. Not only will they show up, but they will also have a good time. Taking risks isn’t easy, but as long as you believe in yourself and put in the work, everything else will fall into place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/ralentertainment
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ral_entertainment
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RAL.Entertainment3
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/OfficialRAL_Ent
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/therealnicole3
