By Park Hee-jung
As a child, I was completely mesmerized by fairy tales and other stories for children. Most of all, Mickey Mouse intrigued me and I longed to have his magic staff.
A few days ago, I watched a soap opera called “Once Upon a Time,” an American TV show that integrates various fairy tales but focuses primarily on the tale of Snow White. In the story, Jiminy Cricket tells young Pinocchio the secret of success in the real world: ``There will be many temptations in this new world but as long as you remain brave, truthful and unselfish you will not fail” Having said this, he sends the newborn baby of Snow White from the fairy world to the real world to protect the goodness, true love, steadfast faith, and sharing for compassion.
I would like to harness the power of Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, Peace Studies and Human Rights to promote prosperity based on “restoration” and “poverty reduction”. While an undergraduate in Korea, I read and wrote about books, so that every Saturday I would be able to lead the book discussion club. In addition, I founded a student organization promoting human rights and peace. I also worked for about 10 years in profit and non-profit organizations.
I developed strong relationships with my mentors and supervisors, while learning professional and problem-solving skills. With their guidance, I helped develop strategic plans adopted by the World Federation of United Nations Associations and corporations such as industrial resources and steel companies. I also raised funds and marketed for the Korean Adoptees Welfare Center and other non-profit organizations. These jobs taught me the professionalism I needed to negotiate and strategically plan for an organization.
As you may know, Korean military service is mandatory. While serving in the 176th Finance Battalion in Yongsan, a U.S. garrison, I learned how to analyze detailed data, including statistics, while I gained valuable accounting, taxation and financial experience, along with discipline and quick and efficient decision making.
I thrive on new challenges and new experiences. My strongest passion is to work in my own country, and around the globe, helping organizations improve their communities. That is why, as a freshman, I established DreamBigHOUSE and Global Peace Research Association, a social enterprise and a non-profit organization. These organizations share a philosophy: keeping faith and hope alive through acts of kindness.
I believe that maintaining steadfast faith is the key to reaching my dreams. I was born to a very poor countryside family. Due to the poverty Korea experienced after the Korean War, my parents did not have a chance to attend school, and so they are illiterate. My mother is also disabled. They worked land owned by somebody else for their whole life.
In this impoverished environment, it may have been more important for me to work in the fields for survival than to go to school. However, with the belief that through education I could change my environment, I did not give up on my studies. Sincerely, I believe that everything was due to the grace of God. I realized that God protected me like one of his children.
At university, I studied law and dreamed of being a human rights lawyer and a pastor for the poor. Even after entering university, I could not escape from the vicious circle of poverty. I studied while I worked in numerous part-time jobs, such as selling goods on the street, construction work, door-to-door sales and private tutoring, to help my parents financially. As a freshman, I personally met God, and as a result I started attending sunrise services.
I received a full scholarship and stipend for four years of university. During that time, I won a total of 8 thesis competitions, and participated in Asian debating contests, as a representative of Korean Law schools. To learn more about human relationships, I volunteered and interned at more than 20 places in government agencies, profit and non-profit organizations during four years of university.
Through poverty, always armed with prayer, God brought me much closer to him. I came to learn humility and obedience, little by little. In church, serving as a student leader several times, I developed knowledge and leadership. I prayed continuously, wishing for God’s mind and God’s dreams to be my mind and my dreams. Graduating from university and publishing three books, I gave many lectures to offer hopes and dreams to middle and high school students and university students.
My dream is to be an innovation designer who creates more values and embraces the countries in East Asia, including North Korea, and parts of Asia that have been stricken by poverty and hunger. While studying law, I have thought about poverty reduction and restoration. Looking back on my childhood and school days, I know that young people can help resolve poverty only if they have realizable hopes and dreams. I have realized that hopes and dreams are more important through my life.
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Dreams and goals are the fundamental ingredients for living with a positive mental attitude. I really want to live my life full of passion, joy and thanks. A few days before Walt Disney died, just before Disney World opened, he envisioned what Disney World would look like while drawing it in his mind.” When you close your eyes, you can see the things you are dreaming of. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle, and the other is as though everything is a miracle.”
The writer is a strategist for the Presidential Office of the World Federation of United Nations Associations. He is also an economic advisor to Timor-Leste President Taur Matan Ruak and the China Rural Development Research Center. His email address is heejung1009@gmail.com.