About
CK Chung and Paula Cramsey
The Beginning…
CK was born at 3:07am on December 12, 1979 in Melrose Park, Illinois as Christopher Kwangduk Chung to Yoon and Ann Chung. CK has a brother, Clint, who is two years younger. CK grew up in Plainfield, Illinois where his parents currently reside.
CK attended Apple Tree Preschool, Grand Prairie Elementary School, Indian Trail Middle School, and graduated from Plainfield High School (now Plainfield Central) in 1998.
Paula was born at 10:29am on April 8, 1981 in Elgin, Illinois as Paula Jean Cramsey to Dave and Jeanne Cramsey. Paula also has a brother, Kevin, who is three years younger. Paula grew up in Gilberts, Illinois where her parents currently reside.
Paula attended Sleepy Hollow Elementary School and then Dundee Highlands Elementary, Dundee Middle School, and graduated from Harry D. Jacobs High School in 1999.
High School…
In high school, CK captained the Varsity Soccer Team during his Junior and Senior years receiving MVP honors his Senior year, during which he led the team with 24 goals and was named to the All-Conference, All-Area, and All-Sectional teams. CK was also part of various club teams including one of the nation’s top 3-v-3 soccer teams.
CK was also heavily involved in music as a member of the Symphonic Band, Marching Band, Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo, Saxophone Quartet, and Allerton Wind Symposium. The Marching Band was recognized as one of the top bands in the state, while the Symphonic Band was recognized as one of the top bands in the country. CK also served as Section Leader and Senior Representative and was named the school’s Best Musician by his fellow classmates.
Excelling academically, CK was a member of the National Honor Society and recognized as an Illinois State Scholar. He also received the Rotary Club Award, All-Conference Academic Award, Presidential Education Award, and IHSA Scholastic Achievement Award. CK was also named as one of the Outstanding High School Achievers of Will County as the top Scholar-Athlete from his school.
Paula also played a variety of sports in high school including softball and tennis, with the latter being her favorite as she was member of the tennis team throughout all four years of her high school career.
Paula was also heavily involved in music as she played the cello and bass as a member of the school Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra. Paula was also a member of the highly regarded McHenry County Youth Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra and performed throughout the country.
Also excelling academically, Paula was a member of the National Honor Society and recognized as an Illinois State Scholar. Paula was also well-received by her peers as they voted her onto the Prom Court her Senior year.
The College Years…
Receiving numerous offers from various schools for both his music and athletic talents, CK chose to attend Drake University to study International Business and play on the Men’s NCAA Division-I Soccer Team. Unfortunately, due to a chronic lower-back injury, CK was forced to retire from competitive soccer after his first year and thus transferred to Northern Illinois University in the fall of 1999 to continue his education.
After evaluating many schools, Paula chose to attend Northern Illinois University to enroll in their prestigious accounting program. Fortunately, this also allowed her to remain close to her family and maintain her position at First USA as a Senior Fraud Analyst.
During his first semester at NIU, CK pledged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. Paula rushed during her second semester at NIU, which is when she pledged to Delta Gamma Sorority.
It was during their second semesters at NIU when they met for the first time during dinner with mutual friends at the Food Court in Stevenson Hall.
CK and Paula kept in touch over the summer break and had their first date on their first day back to school on August 28, 2000.
It wasn’t until his third year at NIU that CK decided to pursue a major in Communication. It was at this point that CK developed his leadership skills and became heavily involved on campus. As well as holding numerous positions for Sigma Alpha Epsilon - including Honorary President - CK also held executive positions with Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity. In addition to that, CK held positions with the Communication Student Advisory Council and Colleges Against Cancer. He was also a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America, the Red Cross Disaster Services Team, and the Men’s Soccer Club.
During her second year at NIU, Paula decided that fashion was her calling, so she switched her major to Textiles, Apparel and Merchandising. Paula also kept herself busy as she held multiple executive board positions for Delta Gamma - including VP of Finance. On top of that, she taught as a Fabric and Fiber Analysis Lab Instructor and juggled an internship with Welsh Industries. Paula was also a member of the Fashion Industries Organization and traveled to New York City.
Paula graduated in May of 2003 with a B.S. in Textiles, Apparel and Merchandising. CK graduated soon after in August of 2003 with a B.S. in Corporate and Organizational Communication and was also presented the Outstanding Major Award for Communication Studies.
The Real World…
2003
Immediately after graduating, Paula packed up her SUV and moved out to Huntington Beach, California to open and run a brand new fashion boutique in Orange as the Retail Operations Manager for Vanity’s. During this time, Paula also became distinguished as an Outstanding Alumni by her alma mater. CK was still at NIU where he had one more credit and the rest of his lease to take care of. It wasn’t long before CK packed his sports car and drove out in September to join Paula in the OC.
2004
CK worked as a Special Events Assistant as well as a Construction Crewman until he found a position in March as a Direct Sales Representative with Advanced Access - a leading internet company that designs websites for the real estate industry. While there, CK embraced the opportunity and developed his professional career. Recognizing his talents, the senior executives established CK as a Website Marketing Specialist where he optimized websites for the company’s premium clientèle.
Also in March, after successfully launching the new store and developing a strong consumer base, Paula moved on to become an Account Executive with Frazier, Lepore and Associates in the “Fashion District” of Los Angeles.
In April, Hendrix - a Poodle and Chihuahua mix - joined the family. Unfortunately, Hendrix passed away due to complications. Later, in April, Stryker Draven - a Shih Tzu and Poodle mix - joined the family in the memory of Hendrix.
In October, Paula moved on to become the Operations Manager for PH Advantage to fulfill her talents and desire for finance, marketing, and operations. Being a brand new company, Paula’s experience in starting up Vanity’s helped a great deal in launching PH Advantage.
In November, Beckham Bocephus - a Yorkshire Terrier and Poodle mix - joined the family. Stryker and Beckham immediately became the closest of brothers.
2005
In May, CK and Paula purchased a condo five miles from where their apartment was. Though they wished to buy a place closer to the beach, the real estate prices in Orange County forced them the other direction. They hope to fulfill their wish in the near future.
In October, the couple traveled overseas to Australia where they saw the sights in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
2006
After two years at Advanced Access, CK moved on in March to become the inaugural Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialist for Experian Consumer Direct - the direct-to-consumer arm of the worldwide information conglomerate.
In April, CK was invited to attend an industry conference, so Paula, Stryker, and Beckham all went along and the four of them extended their trip to enjoy the wonderful city of Boston.
In October, Paula took a new job as the Regional Promotions Lead in the ampm convenience operations sector for BP - the supermajor global energy company.
The growing demand for SEO experts has led to constant job offers for CK from numerous companies. In December, CK signed on to head up the SEO operations for Argus Interactive Agency - an award-winning Search Marketing and Web Development firm.
Currently, CK, Paula, Stryker, and Beckham are happily living and growing together. Stay tuned for more updates and feel free to leave comments!
Contact
To reach us directly, you may submit the form below:
