Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| Kim Hae-young, 17, the grand prize winner of the 9th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards, smiles during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, Dec. 2. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Grand prize winner of The Korea Times' 9th Multicultural Youth Awards
By Lee Hyo-jin
Kim Hae-young, 17, travels some 160 kilometers back and forth by train every weekend from her school dormitory in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, to her home in Seoul.
Spending hours on the road weekly is no burden for the sophomore at Chungnam Foreign Language High School, who says she is happy to study at "the only high school in the country offering in-depth classes in my mother's language, Vietnamese."
"I was born in Vietnam and raised there until the age of seven. This is something that makes me stand out among others, leading to more opportunities, for instance, the chance to win this grand prize," Kim said during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul.
Many people would assume that Kim's multicultural background gifted her with a bilingual talent, but she did not speak any Korean before entering elementary school here. Grasping the language was the first challenge she encountered in Korea, her father's homeland.
"With low confidence in speaking, I used to be a shy girl in the class, keeping to myself," Kim recalled. "But with the help of friends, teachers, and my supportive mother, I was able to acquire the language quite easily."
Now a fluent speaker of both Korean and Vietnamese, Kim won first place in the nationwide bilingual speech contest last year.
'Experiences broaden my perspective'
The soon-to-be high school senior is now trying to balance her time between academic life and social activities. Although she feels that it is time to concentrate on preparing for the national college entrance exam, experiences outside the classroom are also an important part of Kim's energetic life.
"Hae-young participates in so many activities in and outside of the school. She signs up for basically every event, competition, school project, and club activity that she can. It's remarkable that she manages all those while maintaining good grades," Kim's homeroom teacher Kim In-soo said over the phone.
He added that Kim is a self-motivated student with many achievements under her belt and she has a lot of potential.
Kim indeed has a long list of accomplishments ― a former member of the youth assembly at Seodaemun-gu in Seoul where her home is, a student ambassador of the Dokdo Islets, a volunteer at the Korea-Vietnam Culture Communication Center, and the leader of a business administration study group and multicultural volunteer club at her school.
 |
| Kim Hae-young, center, poses in a traditional Vietnamese ao dai dress during a photo shoot for the school viewbook in October. / Courtesy of Kim Hae-young |
"I enjoy meeting new people," Kim said, when asked what motivated her to keep herself so busy.
"Some people may think I'm doing all these extracurricular activities to gain advantage for college admission, but that's not why I do these things. I really learn a lot from new experiences and communication with other people ― they broaden my perspective and the way I think."
She elaborated on her trip to Dokdo as a student ambassador in 2019.
"Not only did we explore the magnificent sites of the islets, but we also talked with the residents, and sang 'Arirang' with singer Kim Jang-hoon ... Through the amazing experience, I could really feel from the bottom of my heart the true importance of Dokdo to Korea."
Ultimate goal ― influential social entrepreneur
But Kim was not always an extrovert. There were times when she struggled due to a sense of not belonging in either Vietnam or Korea.
"Since I was born as a Korean national, I was technically a foreigner in Vietnam. But I also felt left out in Korea when my friends asked about my nationality, sometimes treating me like a person who will eventually go back to where I was born."
She also felt offended by some people who described Vietnam as a "poor" country or who didn't even know where it is located.
But Kim was able to overcome these difficulties through interaction with other multicultural children who were experiencing similar feelings.
"I met a lot of new friends from diverse family backgrounds in social contribution programs of a local company that I participated in at the age of 13, where we shared the difficulties we had in common. The feeling that I'm not alone helped me gain confidence and accept myself the way I am."
Based on her experience, Kim suggested the establishment of a mentoring platform among multicultural youth across the country, as the problems that such students experience can be eased significantly by communicating with peers in similar situations.
"The platform will offer more than just emotional support. Many multicultural teens are deprived of information in terms of education and career development. Through mentoring programs, we can share useful information on studying Korean, scholarship programs, special college admission tracks offered for biracial students, and other opportunities for self-development."
She discussed her ultimate goal ― to become a social entrepreneur and bring a positive influence to society.
Kim's dream is to major in business administration or economics at college, and then run a business of her own to bring social contribution programs to children with diverse family backgrounds.
"I feel overwhelmed by the recognition and awards I receive for just being who I am. The best way to give back, I think, is to provide support for children from multicultural families in the future," Kim said.
