ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My unending thanks to the 2015-2016 Colorado College Grants in Writing Committee—David Hendrickson, George Butte, Dan Tynan, and Emily Greene—for giving me and trusting me with this opportunity even when there were so many uncertainties. Thank you to the faculty and staff at Colorado College who have supported me in all my endeavors, especially Dr. Rashna Singh, who taught me to gracefully and critically examine my own identity through her classes and our talks. Thank you to everyone who has expressed their enthusiasm for this project throughout the years, even when it was a half-baked idea heading into college. Without your interest and encouragement, I am not sure I would have done it.

My love and thanks to my family: my mother and father for patiently recounting to me the stories about my adoption, and your support for my trip to China and whatever will come next; and my sister, who amazes me more and more every passing day. My thanks to the rest of my family as well—aunts, cousins, uncles, grandparents. You have always been my home, and I am so grateful I was given this chance to become a part of your life.

To my friends at CC, particularly the members of Asian Student Union and Korean American Student Association (you know who you are!), thank you for providing me with a sense of community that is irreplaceable, and for accepting me and welcoming me even when I felt like I didn’t deserve to belong (or when I was afraid to belong). Emily especially—you helped me come out of my shell. I love you a lot.

And finally, the greatest thank you of all to Dr. Tom Miller. Your gift and generosity has made this journey and project possible. I hope that one day we will be able to meet, and that I can convey to you in person how much this opportunity has meant to me. Until then, regardless of what comes next in my life, I will do my best to carry your kindness forward.