Hobart and William Smith Colleges

3 April 2012 Kim 98 on Pacific Islander Community

Hyeok Kim 98 was among three women who recently presented during the Week of Women Speakers at Washington State University. Kim is currently a member of the 16-person Presidents Advisory Committee on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The goal of the commission, according to the legislation that created it, is to work to improve the quality of life and opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through increased access to, and participation in, Federal programs in which they may be underserved.

Kims presentation at Washington State was hosted by the Association of Pacific and Asian Women and she spoke about her role as a contributor to the Asian and Pacific Islander community.

According to an article in the schools paper, The Daily Evergreen, Kims family, originally from Korea, moved to Federal Way, in the 1980s after her father died. Her mother worked as a night janitor in order to support Kim and her two older sisters. When Kim was almost 11, her mother passed away from lung cancer.

In speaking of learning from adversity, Kim is quoted, Its not a question of if and when youll experience adversity. The experience forces you to grow up adversity makes us stronger than we realize at the time. The struggle itself (is) important. I wouldnt give up that struggle for anything.

Kim is currently the executive director of the Interim Community Development Association and, in 2008; she was named the Top Contributor to the Asian Community by Northwestern Asian Weekly.

Kim is a 2010 Marshall Memorial Fellow, as well as a 2010-2011 Fellow with the Annie E. Casey Foundations Children & Family Fellowship program.

She graduated summa cum laude from William Smith College with a B.A. in history, was a member of the writing colleagues and Hai Timiai and was awarded both the Technos International Prize and the Martin Luther King Leadership Award.

The full article about her presentation follows.

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The Daily Evergreen
Female speakers highlight equality issues
Cappy Spruance March 5, 2012

The annual event featured presentations by women from many different backgrounds.

The motto Be Uplifted. Be Inspired. Be Empowered guided the Week of Women Speakers Feb. 27 through March 2.

Mondays original presenter, actress Elaine Miles, could not attend due to illness, so assistant professor of American Indian studies Jeanette Weaskus filled in. She spoke mainly of her struggles attending 17 years of college while raising several children.

The Black Womens Caucus hosted Luzviminda Carpenters presentation on Tuesday.Carpenter graduated from WSU in 2001 with a bachelors degree in English. Carpenter has worked with the Ladies First Program and created the Women Who Rock conference. She currently works in social services in Seattle.

Ive been very humbled as a community organizer, she said.

Carpenter had a more interactive presentation than the other presenters.
I dont do lectures, Carpenter said. I do community workshops.

She asked the audience to think of African American women who made an impact on society, then place their names on a timeline in the back of the room. She also had audience members write down common stereotypes of homosexuals, African Americans and women.

(Carpenter) is a youth and womens advocate, said Brittney Rogers, Coalition for Women Students chair and senior psychology major. She spells women with a y to take the man out of it. Shes empowering.

On Wednesday, writer and performer Yadira De La Riva performed her thesis monologue One Journey: Stitching Stories Across the Mexican American Border. De La Riva recently obtained her masters degree from New York University. She creates, performs and organizes performances that represent and empower marginalized voices nationally and internationally.

Thursdays speaker was Shared Hope International founder Linda Smith. Her book, Renting Lacy: A Story of Americas Prostituted Children, is named after a girl who was sold into prostitution when she was young.

According to Smiths book, Shared Hope International was founded in November of 1998 to fight sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, and to serve the long-term restoration needs of women and children in crisis.

Smith said the average age in the United States for girls to be trafficked is 13. Las Vegas has the largest child market in the U.S.

Her presentation was hosted by the YWCA of WSU. To learn more about Shared Hope International, visit www.sharedhope.org.

On Friday, Hyeok Kim, the presenter hosted by the Association of Pacific and Asian Women, spoke about her role as a contributor to the Asian and Pacific Islander community.

Kims family, originally from Korea, moved to Federal Way, in the 1980s after her father died. Her mother worked as a night janitor in order to support Kim and her two older sisters. When Kim was almost 11, her mother passed away from lung cancer.

My mother broke down, Kim said of a moment they shared the month before her mothers death. She couldnt stop the cancer and there was no other parent to take care of her kids.

Kim said adversity happens all the time and people learn from it.

Its not a question of if and when youll experience adversity, she said. The experience forces you to grow up adversity makes us stronger than we realize at the time. The struggle itself (is) important. I wouldnt give up that struggle for anything.

Kim described herself as a slacker in junior high and high school. She feels lucky that she got a four-year scholarship to Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, because college was her biggest growing experience.

The first year was very bumpy, she said, referencing her culture shock and homesickness. But what else can you do in the middle of nowhere but study? College was transformative.

Kim imparted some lessons she has learned throughout life.

If someone messes up at work my natural instinct is to apologize for the situation, she said. Its a natural instinct in women to be humble, self-deprecating and play the mediator in society. These arent bad qualities in themselves, but we cant take on all the problems in the world.

She also said it took her a long time to realize she was competent in her line of work.

(At first), I exaggerated my inner confidence, she said, emphasizing that she did not lie, but simply projected confidence even when she did not feel it. When all else fails, just fake it.

Kim currently works on President Barack Obamas Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to improve those groups access to federal programs.

To learn more about the commission, visit www.aapi.gov.