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Featured Essays


Competing on a Level Playing Field
How breaking a board in Taekwondo taught my daughter—and me—about confidence, courage, and gender expectations.


Mothers and Sons
What happens when boys grow up seeing women as scientists, surgeons, and leaders—and how those lessons might change the world.


Escape from Pyongyang
I fled Pyongyang as a child under cover of night—a journey that shaped my lifelong belief in resilience and global citizenship.
In 1947, Pyongyang was under Russian military authority. Life for my family had been difficult during the Japanese occupation and was about to become even harder. My mother, Song Kyung-Shyn, had surrendered her brass housewares and even her wedding ring to the Japanese army for the war effort . . . Read More


Education: Our Family's Security Blanket
From Pyongyang to Michigan, my family carried a treasure no one could take away: the belief that education is freedom.
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