Starbucks Choi Yena, Hearing-Impaired Deputy Manager, Wins Excellence Award at the 2020 Seoul Metropolitan Welfare Awards

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saehye] Starbucks Coffee Korea announced on the 20th that Yena Choi, a hearing-impaired partner and assistant store manager (age 28), received the Excellence Award in the Disability Human Rights category at the ‘2020 Seoul Metropolitan Welfare Awards’ hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Started in 2003, the Seoul Metropolitan Welfare Awards is an annual ceremony held on April 20th to commemorate Disability Day. It recognizes individuals with physical or mental disabilities who have overcome difficulties and achieved independence, serving as role models in society, as well as individuals or organizations supporting the independence of people with disabilities. The awards aim to promote disability awareness and actively discover targets for human rights advancement across various fields.

Assistant Store Manager Choi was selected as the Excellence Award recipient in the disability category this year in recognition of her active participation in internal and external awareness improvement activities, continuous self-development to enhance job skills, and serving as a role model for many people with disabilities.

Choi joined Starbucks in 2015 as a barista through the company’s recruitment program for people with disabilities. Breaking prejudices against disabled baristas and demonstrating excellent job capabilities, she was promoted to assistant store manager in March 2018. Currently, she works as an assistant store manager at The Jongno R branch, the largest store in Korea combining a Reserve Bar and a Teavana Bar, providing customers with diverse Starbucks experiences as the first disabled partner in this role.

In particular, in 2017, she showcased her skilled barista abilities by winning first place with excellent results at the Barista Championship for people with disabilities, which had over 100 participants. She also actively participates in the annual Barista Empathy Meetings for people with disabilities, sharing her efforts and promotion know-how with junior disabled partners, and has been actively involved in activities promoting disability rights and awareness improvement.

Additionally, to break the social prejudice that hearing impairment is unsuitable for the service industry, she practices voice and pronunciation exercises daily to communicate actively with customers. In 2018, she obtained the Coffee Master certification, an in-house coffee expert qualification, and has worked at the Reserve Bar handling various coffee extraction equipment, continuously challenging herself and striving to improve her job skills.

Assistant Store Manager Choi expressed, “I believe I have grown to where I am today thanks to the support and consideration of many people who instilled confidence that I can do it instead of prejudice against people with disabilities.” She added, “Going forward, I want to gain more experience and knowledge to break prejudices and serve as a mentor who can positively influence other people with disabilities.”

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