About the Speakers

Tuesday Afternoon

Josephine Kim, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC
"Dr. Jo" is a Lecturer on Education in the Risk and Prevention program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of Massachusetts. She is a National Certified Counselor whose clinical skills and experiences span many contexts including residential facilities, community agencies, and public and private schools. She has worked with multicultural populations through individual, group, and family counseling and has taught students of all ages in varied educational settings. She has provided professional consultation and expertise on multicultural, mental health, career development, and educational issues to various media sources in Asia and in the U.S. She is USA Today's collegiate case study expert on school violence and has been featured in EBS (Education Broadcast System) and KBS (Korean Broadcast System) programs in Korea related to issues of mental health, self esteem, and other developmental issues of children and adolescents. She is the keynote speaker at 70-100 parent, teacher, counselor, and youth counferences yearly in Asia and in the U.S. She has been called upon during national crises, being deployed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the federal government to work with victims of Hurricane Katrina. As one of few bicultural, bilingual Korean American counselors, she was invited to Virginia Tech in the spring of 2007, directly following the campus massacre. There she educated, counseled, and trained students, counselors, and staff on mental health issues prevalent in the Korean American community. She serves on the board of directors of several Asian American non-profit and educational organizations that raise awareness of mental health issues in Asian American populations. She is the founding executive director of Mustard Seed Generation, Inc. When she is away from her campus in Cambridge, MA, she and her very new husband Solomon enjoy talking about working out and playing Rummikub.

Tuesday Night

David Choi, M. Div.
Pastor David Choi has ministered in many diverse contexts from Asian churches to multiethnic, inner city churches to overseas missions. He is a graduate of Wheaton College and received his Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is an active member of the Lausanne Movement for World Evangelization, a global congress of thousands of church and mission leaders from almost every country in the world. He has served as a member of the the North American Pastor's Host Committee for the Third Lausanne Congress in Cape Town, South Africa 2010. Their vision is for the whole church to bring the whole gospel to the whole world. He is an international speaker, who most recently spoke for a month in Beijing and Shanghai. He has also spoken in many universities like Cornell University, the University of Chicago, Wheaton, and Harvard. He also enjoys meeting people like Kanye West, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. In his spare time, he eats lots of Korean BBQ, listens to hip hop, and plays professional sports...in his dreams!

Wednesday Night/Thursday Morning

Eugene Cho, M. Div.
Pastor Eugene Cho is a second-generation Korean American and the founder and lead pastor of Quest Church, an eight-year-old multicultural, multhethnic, multi-generational and urban faith community in Seattle, WA. He is also the founder and executive director of Q Cafe, an innovative nonprofit neighborhood cafe and music venue. Eugene and his wife, Minhee, are also the founders of One Day's Wages (ODW), an international movement (birthed in 2009) of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty. The strategy of ODW is to create a collaborative movement via integrating human relationships, social media/technology, and the power of story. More of Pastor Eugene's story can be found here, and you can also stalk him via his blog (eugenecho.com) or Twitter (http://twitter.com /eugenecho).

Colloquium Speakers/Volunteers

Pastor David Jung, M.RE., M.A.R.
"Though the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say, 'blessed be the name of the Lord'." Through his testimony which reveals God's faithfulness, Pastor David Jung challenges many Christians and non-believers around the East Coast. Graduating from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary with a Masters in Religious Education, Arts and Religion, and working on Divinity, he continues to bless many youth through dynamic sermons at conferences and retreats. Pastor David is married to his beautiful wife Eunah Jung, who is also a staff member of MSG, and has two children Adellaie and Toviel. He is currently serving Franconia Korean Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA as the pastor of English Ministries.

Paul Kim, B.A., M. Ed.
Paul Kim began serving as a youth leader and praise leader when he was 16 years old, and with II Corinthians 12:9 as his motto in life, Paul continues to devote himself to serving God through youth ministry. Paul graduated from Virginia Tech in May of 2009 with a Masters in Counselor Education: School Counseling. He is currently working as a school counselor at J.L. Simpson Middle School in Leesburg, VA and is serving the adult English Ministry congregation at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Gaithersburg, MD as the praise leader.

John Huh, Ph.D. Candidate
Pastor John Huh has been burdened about the mental, emotional, and spiritual health of Korean Americans. As a bilingual, bi-cultural Korean American, he is active in the church and in academia to help bring healing upon God's people. He received a B.A. (Psychology and Theology) from Boston College and his M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is currently a doctoral candidate studying pastoral counseling at Princeton Theological Seminary, researching about resilience and cultural identity of Asian American adolescents. John and his wife Hannah are proud to be members of the non-profit group New Jersey Youth Pastors' Network (NJYPN) and are passionate about serving afflicted families through counseling and health ministries. Along with a team of pastors, John is serving at New Mercy Community Church, an emerging church in northern New Jersey with the vision to be a church of and for the broken.

J. Sophia Nam, Ed.M.
Ever since experiencing God's restoration through His people at Wellesley College, Sophie has committed herself to helping others in their wholesome pursuit of God, in which lies true freedom and joy. God planted in her a burning desire for God's life-giving Word, ministry training, and missions; in His wisdom, however, God also brought challenges into Sophie's life to open her eyes to the many barriers that hinder growth at all levels: from the individual level to the "powers and principalities." Step by step, Sophie was led to studies in counseling psychology. Currently a third-year Ph.D. student at Boston College, Sophie has received training at various clinical (residential treatment, community agency, elementary and high schools) sites working with diverse, underserved populations. Her specialty is in working with children, adolescents, and their families, providing individual and group counseling as well as parent consultation. While Sophie finds this work rewarding, she fundamentally recognizes the equal value and interdependence of spiritual and emotional healing. When not reading, writing, researching, reflecting, or counseling, Sophie loves serving at Mustard Seed Generation, spending time with friends, and sharing life with her beloved youth kids and family at the Berkland Baptist Church, Sophie's spiritual home. Perhaps due to her own Third-Culture Kid experience (grew up in various cities of Korea, the Czech Republic, and the U.S.), Sophie has a deep concern and love for the displaced, and hopes to make a positive contribution to social justice through giving voice to displaced people and communities around the globe. Sophie also holds a B.A. in Psychology from Wellesley College and an Ed.M. in Risk and Prevention from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Irene Pak, A.B., Ed.M.
"A race of people is like an individual man; until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own history, expresses its own culture, affirms its own selfhood, it can never fulfill itself." Malcolm X Irene Pak was born in South Korea, but as an infant immigrated with her family to Boston, Massachusetts. She received her A.B. at Bowdoin College and her Ed.M at the Harvard Graduate School Education in Human, Development, and Psychology. She has significant work experience as a higher education administrator at both undergraduate and graduate institutions. She is passionate about empowering students of color and children of immigrants to successfully navigate their tertiary education. Her research interests include Asian American adult identity development within the context of post-secondary education and multicultural program development.

Catherine Hwang, Ed. M.
At an early age, Catherine Hwang developed a passion for teaching. As a Golden Apple Scholar of Illinois, she learned from award-winning educators the importance of positively impacting the lives of disadvantaged children and their families. With a strong conviction for working with inner city youngsters, Catherine worked as a third grade classroom teacher in a struggling school in North Chicago. Stemming from a deep commitment and love for youth, she served as the youth group leader/counselor and as the director of the Sunday school program at her church. During this time, she developed a heart for Korean-American young women and youth who struggle with their identity. She graduated with a degree in International Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education in May 2008. Currently, she is teaching second grade in Chicago, IL. She hopes to expand educational opportunities to disadvantaged children around the world. This summer, she is looking forward to developing a global education program for her school district.

JK Park, B.A., M.A.
JK Park received his B.A.in Psychology and Sociology from Grove City College, and his M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Boston College (BC). Currently, he works as a school counselor in Massachusetts. He has worked with a diverse population of children, adolescents, and college students in various settings including a non-profit residential treatment center for at-risk youth. His work with student-athletes at BC in the Learning Resource Center as well as his extensive soccer coaching background have also influenced his interest in providing comprehensive support services. His experiences working in diverse contexts have valuably enhanced his educational/counseling philosophy and have significantly contributed to instilling the passion for equipping, empowering, and encouraging today's youth to grow and mature physically, emotionally, mentally, as well as spiritually. Growing up in a missionary family and volunteering with mission organizations such as YWAM and Ambassadors in Sport have also provided invaluable opportunities for him to interact and develop relationships with people from various racial, ethnic, cultural, and social backgrounds. He enjoys the challenging process of breaking down barriers and forging healthy relationships between groups through both individual and systemic intervention. This summer, he is looking forward to being in Cape Town, South Africa during the World Cup working with a non-profit organization that promotes HIV/AIDS awareness, education, and prevention through soccer.

Cliff Kim, M.Div.
Pastor Cliff is a youth worker who is burdened for the lack of resources and leadership among smaller youth ministries today. He has been serving a community of committed youth workers and students from smaller churches in the D.C. metropolitan area through BRIDGE4YOUTH, Inc., where he serves as the founding executive director. Pastor Cliff studied architecture at Virginia Tech and got his M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando. He is currently serving as a youth pastor at Church for All Nations, Springfield, VA.

Joe Kim
Joe Kim began serving as a youth group leader since he was 18 years old. He is currently in the process of starting his own non-profit organization called Helping Hands which aims to raise awareness of the needs of our community by connecting and inspiring people to make a positive impact through music, art, and events. He is also starting his own clothing company called GETclothing. He is also involved in other great organizations such as Bridge 4 Youth, Photoria Studios, and Kollaboration DC, in addition to Mustard Seed Generation, Inc. Through his involvement in these movements, Joe hopes to help raise awareness of social injustices all over the world and challenge the community to help those in need.

Margaret Park, B.A., Ed. M
Margaret Park grew up in New Jersey and received her B.A in Political Science and Sociology from Rutgers College. She earned a M. Ed. in Childhood Special Education from Hunter College and was an elementary school teacher in New York City for three years. She also taught in South Korea for one year on a Fulbright Scholarship. She is a graduate of the Risk and Prevention Program at Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she earned an Ed. M. as a prevention specialist. She is interested in counseling and teaching youth and is on the path to becoming a school counselor. She is passionate about social justice issues and is currently active on Harvard's campus in raising awareness on issues such as modern day slavery and global poverty. Her dream is to be able to extensively travel the world.

Jennifer Sohn, Ed. M, C.A.S. Candidate
Jennifer Sohn was born and raised in Southern California and is currently pursuing her Certificate of Advanced Study in Counseling at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). She graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in English Literature and Cinema and Media Studies and received her Ed.M. in Risk and Prevention from HGSE. Prior to pursuing her graduate studies, Jennifer taught in South Korea on a Fulbright Fellowship and worked as a program coordinator for the Broad Education Foundation. Most recently, she spent a year running the College and Career Center at Malden High School in MA. She is passionate about providing equitable access to resources to all students and much of her work has focused on Asian American students. Jennifer loves to cook Korean food, dance to hip-hop, sing, and spend time with her friends and family.

Grace Haeun Kim, B.A., Ed. M.
Grace was born in Korea and came to America when she was young. She grew up mainly in New Jersey but has lived in many different cities throughout the Tri-State area. She graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in Psychology and Education & Child Study. During her time at Smith, she also received her elementary teaching certificate in Massachusetts. Grace is a graduate of the Risk & Prevention Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. During her time at HGSE, she worked as a school counseling intern at Haley Pilot Elementary School, counseling students ranging in age from K-5. Prior to her graduate studies, Grace was an Associate Teacher at a private school in New York City, teaching first and second grade students. She is passionate about multicultural counseling and working with students of color and particularly the Asian American population. Starting this fall, she hopes to pursue a school counseling certificate in New Jersey. Grace is a lover of sports, sushi, singing, coffee and spending quality time with her family, friends, and her soon-to-be husband.

Elizabeth B. Kim, B.A., Ed.M.
Liz is a graduate of the Human Development & Psychology program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her academic interests include children's trust in testimony, how children learn in cultural and school contexts, and developmental disorders. Completing her B.A. in English Literature at Wellesley College, Liz hopes to incorporate writing in her future plans to address cultural taboos on learning disorders. Her current research projects focus on understanding how Asian-American children rely on group consensus compared to their peers, and exploring different types of interventions for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In her spare time, she enjoys being a member of the Harvard ballroom dance team, mentoring in afterschool programs, and just hanging out with family and friends.

Shinye Kim, B.A., Ed. M.
Shinye Kim was born and raised in Korea and came to U.S in 2009 Fall. She graduated from Busan National University of Education with a B.A in Education and she is a graduate of the Risk and Prevention Program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Before she came to U.S she had teaching practice in her college and received national elementary teaching certificate in Korea. She also worked as an assistant and peer counselor at her college and she decided to pursue further study. For this academic year, she worked as an adjustment school counselor at John D Obryan't school of Mathematics and Science and learned great deal of how school counseling worked especially for urban adolescents. She is passionate with counseling which deals with adjustment and life transition issues and interested in how people make meaning out of counseling. She loves to travel and is a city ambassador for couchsurfing. com which is a non profit organization of backpack travelers.

Soohyun Baek, B.A., M.A., Ed. M.
Soohyun Baek was born and raised in South Korea and received her B.A. in Education and Moral Education and M.A. in Education from Ewha Womans University. Just recently, she earned an Ed. M. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is interested in the socio-emotional development of youths and in the psychological interventions for traumatized individuals. She is passionate about revealing God's truth in the field of education. Soohyun loves to cook, ice-skate, and hang out with friends and family.

Yuen Mi Amy Cheon, B.A., Ed. M.
Amy received her B.A. in Psychology from University of Rochester and Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a Third Culture Kid who has lived in Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S. Stemming from her background, her passion lies in exploring the impact of culture and raising the awareness of cultural sensitivity. At Harvard, she volunteered as a graduate student peer counselor, and hopes to continue pursuing further studies in the field of counseling psychology. In the future, she hopes to become an advocate of Third Culture Kids and cross-cultural students. She likes to eat, run, sing, and be in the nature.

Edison Park, B.A.
Edison Park received his B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Washington. Originally from Honolulu, he was raised also in Seattle Washington where he served in a variety of Korean American church youth groups as a smallgroup leader and praise team member. Along with his experiences serving middle class Korean youth in a religious setting, he also served as a Client Services fellow for Polaris Project, an anti-human trafficking organization based in Washington D.C. There he organized a job training program for victims and served as a Korean and Spanish interpreter. His current position is an After- School Middle School Assistant Program Coordinator for the non-profit organization Asian American Lead (AALEAD) in Montgomery County Maryland. Serving the low-income underserved Asian American and recent immigrant population has helped to broaden his perspective on the model minority myth, and on how to better tackle identity and cultural assimilation issues in an academic youth development setting. Edison has also served in several overseas mission trips through YWAM, OMF, and Habitat for Humanity. He enjoys traveling and trying different ethnic foods, as well as watching independent films and enjoying all of the terrible D.C. sports teams.

Hyun Joo Helen Lee, Ed. M., M.A.
Hyun Joo was born in the United Kingdom and raised in Korea during her childhood; however, her adolescence was spent in the U.K. After completing college in Korea, she came to the United States for her graduate studies. Her experience from different cultural settings gave her a heart and willingness to understand culture and human development in depth. Her B.A. in English Language and Literature is from Korea University, and she received her Ed. M. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also earned a M.A. in English and American Literature from Boston University. Since childhood, she has been an avid reader of books and literature, especially on human emotion and history. What has fascinated her in literature has been the pursuit of human values, which she believes is most pertinent in the studies of Human Development, Counseling and Education. She is currently enrolled in the M.A. licensure program in School Counseling at Boston College. She aspires to work with youth from diverse backgrounds, helping youth achieve to their fullest human potential.

C. Jae Hong, M.Div., LSW
Consistently experiencing an intimate and patient God who promises to turn our mourning into joy through restoration and reconciliation, Pastor Jae Hong has been blessed to experience continued guidance in his vocational calling to youth ministry. Challenged to "preach the gospel and when necessary use words," he is beautifully burdened to remind physically, emotionally, and spiritually battered young people that not only God or Yahweh, but an abba, longs to embrace them where they stand. He received his B.A. in English and Religion from Rutgers College, and completed the dual MDiv/MSW program from Princeton Theological Seminary and the Rutgers School of Social Work. Through working at a state psychiatric hospital for a year as a social worker and then as a chaplain, he was fortunate to engage in both clinical and pastoral counseling within the mental health field. He is excited to continue seeking an intentional sacred space where both reside in compliment through his current pursuit of a clinical license in social work and his candidacy to become a minister of Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church America. He is currently serving as a pastor of Youth and English Ministries at Hanaim Church in Paramus, NJ.

Juliana Yoo, M.A.
Juliana was born and raised in South Korea until her family immigrated to Toronto, Canada when she was 12 years old. Experiencing many challenges and hardships associated with immigration, Juliana developed a heart to bring emotional healing to the underserved and underprivileged children, adolescents, and families and to raise awareness of mental health issues in churches and communities. Juliana received her B.S. degree in Psychology at the University of Toronto and she currently attends Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology for her Doctorate of Psychology (Psy.D.). She is starting her American Psychological Associated Accredited pre-doctoral internship at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology at the Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center for the 2010-2011 training year. Juliana's dissertation is focused on developing a psychoeducational parenting program for Asian American immigrant families with adolescents. Juliana has clinical experience working with children, adolescents, and adults in various settings such as a community mental health center, high school, and family court clinic. Juliana enjoys playing sports, having deep conversations, and eating.

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