KKOOM is excited to announce our very first intern, Liat Shapiro! Liat is a rising junior at Brandeis University in Massachusetts working on her Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics. Our Board had a chance to meet her in July 2017 at our Board Retreat in Boston. She took initiative to reach out to our Chief Administrator in early 2017 to find ways for college students to support KKOOM. Improving the lives of South Korean orphans is near and dear to her personal interests as a Korean adoptee.
Liat was recently awarded a competitive scholarship at her university, the World of Work Fellowship. This $4,000 internship allows Liat to work for KKOOM unpaid during the upcoming summer months. Her social justice fellowship provides KKOOM additional administrative support as Liat will help us with fundraising strategies, establish a college ambassador program, and will help plan our upcoming Dream Camp. The summer camp for high school and middle school students from Samsungwon Orphanage in Gumi, South Korea, will give them the unique opportunity to improve practical English skills while providing an experiential learning environment to build basic life skills through traveling and budgeting. Liat will travel to South Korea using her scholarship funds, along with our Chief Administrator, in early August to attend the four day camp taking place in Seoul.
Without Liat’s scholarship to support KKOOM, the Dream Camp wouldn’t be possible. She will ensure high school orphans can experience life-changing, real-world opportunities through leadership training and mentorship opportunities. As a Korean adoptee, working with South Korean orphans has been a goal of Liat’s for several years. Her desire to directly influence and interact with the children is admirable as a college student. Over the past year since the Board met Liat, she has successfully rallied friends and family around two personal fundraisers for KKOOM. She has also raised funds for our one preschool scholar, HyungJun.
Due to her genuine passion to support our mission and leadership ability, our Chief Administrator and President invited her to join our Board in February 2018. With an unanimous vote, the Board agreed to have Liat become the youngest Board member. Once Liat completes her 200 hour internship with KKOOM this summer, she will continue her role as a Board member for KKOOM. While she will travel to South Korea in early August for KKOOM’s Dream Camp, she also intends on using her scholarship funds to purchase her flight to Los Angeles for our 2018 Board Retreat in June.
Through her direct planning for the Dream Camp, Liat will provide a chance for these children to reach for the stars, giving them the courage to expand outside their comfort zone through this hands-on summer experience. Congratulations Liat and we are very excited to work closely with you this summer to continue finding ways to make dreams possible for orphans in South Korea. We invite you to follow Liat’s internship journey and Dream Camp activities as we share regular updates throughout the summer through our blogs, social media, and newsletters.
