Korean-American Adoptees Searching for Roots

By Jeremy Chew

Contributing Writer

LOS ANGELES ― A number of Koreans have been adopted into American families in the United States. Traditionally, from a cultural standpoint, Koreans rarely adopt children, even children of their own ethnicity. Apart from the war, many of these children come from significantly disadvantaged backgrounds: born into poverty or born out of wedlock.

Surprisingly, many adoptees have become rather successful. Some like Playboy model, Nicole Oring, have gained notoriety (a feat less likely had she grown up in a conservative Korean household). But for the most part, many continue to lead successful lives among Asian-Americans as the model minority.

David Camitta, a Wall Street investment banker at Merrill Lynch, attended the top universities: University of Illinois for his undergraduate degree and Columbia University for his masters in mathematics. Continuing his track record, David is well poised to rise to the ranks of vice president and managing director.

Although he was raised by Caucasians in Wisconsin, a state with less than 1 percent of Asians in its population, he managed to rediscover his roots while balancing work in a dominantly Caucasian workforce. Two years ago, he met his biological parents for the first time. It was certainly an emotional roller coaster ride.

Living in New York City, a city with its own ``Koreatown,'' Camitta is very involved with social activities. He is active in YKAM (Young Korean American Association) and receives tutoring from NYU students native to Korea so that he can converse with his siblings in Korea via the Internet.

One of his best friends, Jonathan Carfield a venture capitalist, is a fellow Korean adoptee and the two do not let their backgrounds hinder their progress. In fact, their non-Asian names may move them to the initial employment-screening phase that is often times racially discriminatory.

Korean adoptees continue to make their mark outside of business. Captain John Principe, who grew up in California, has also taken his foster parent's last name. After graduating from the University of California Berkeley in political science, John Principe joined the United States Army as a second lieutenant, a career path that many of his counterparts in Korea (serving two years of mandatory service) would gladly avoid. Currently, he is a captain in the Army's elite ranger battalion.

After serving several years in Iraq, Captain Principe recognizes that many Iraqi and Afghani children are displaced and the need for international humanitarian efforts to place those children is ever more important.

One result of the Korean War (1950-1953) was the existence of 100,000 homeless children. It could be said that the Korean War brought forth international recognition of Korean adoption practices.

The lives of Captain Principe, Camitta and Carfield underscore and reexamine the age old debate between Immanuel Kant and Konrad Lorez's idea of ``nature versus nurture.'' One thing is clear: that their lives are significantly changed because their foster families have welcomed them with open arms and considered them their own, providing them with immeasurable opportunities.

The writer's career spans from investment banking, equity research to venture capital. As a member of Pi Alpha Phi, an Asian-awareness fraternity, Jeremy is concerned with Asian-American issues as he is with business. Jeremy can be reached at jzc2103@columbia.edu.