I GREW UP IN A MILITARY FAMILY IN ASIA BEFORE RETURNING TO THE U.S. TO COMPLETE MY DEGREES IN JOURNALISM & ANTHROPOLOGY.
WITH A SOLDIER for a FATHER AND A STRONG KOREAN LADY FOR A MOTHER, I WAS FORCED TO SUBMIT TO THE VALUES OF DISCIPLINE, obedience & HARD WORK AT A YOUNG AGE.
in response to my strict upbringing, I ALSO DISCOVERED THE EMPOWERMENT OF RESISTANCE & REBELLION.
AFTER WORKING BRIEFLY AS AN NPR REPORTER, I PARTICIPATED IN mass uprisings AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY. AS A RESULT, I WAS ARRESTED & INCARCERATED FOR ONE YEAR AS A POLITICAL PRISONER.
IN THE most RESTRICTIVE & submissive POSITION I HAD EVER EXPERIENCED, I OFTEN FOUND MYSELF FEELING MORE CONNECTED TO MYSELF & MORE MENTALLY LIBERATED THAN I EVER HAD BEFORE.
since then, i’ve been fascinated with the complexity of human responses to stress, fear, imprisonment, and loss of autonomy.