Winners of 3rd Multicultural Youth Awards

Chopra drums for community

Outstanding

elementary student

Kaya Chopra

Twelve-year-old Kaya Chopra, a fifth-grader at Itaewon Elementary School, has been named a winner in the 3rd Korea Multicultural Youth Awards in the elementary school category.

A drummer who plays for troubled people in the neighborhood, Chopra was born in India to an Indian father and Korean mother. Three years ago, the family moved to Korea. He speaks Hindi, Korean and English fluently. When The Korea Times went to interview his school last year, he was a jolly kid who savored the time to hang out with schoolmates.

He is a member of a multicultural youth band, called “Families Love You,” playing the drums. Recently, his band played at the “Seodawoo Kyungridan-gil Busking Festival” in Seoul and donated the proceeds to elderly people in the neighborhood who are in need of financial help.

He also plays cello for a local children’s orchestra. He said his musical interest in drums goes back to when he was 6 years old. He wants to be a musician when he grows up.

Shin wishes to help others

Shin Ye-won

Shin Ye-won, 11, a fourth-grader at Daegu Jangsan Elementary School in Daegu, southeast of Seoul, has been named a winner in the 3rd Korea Multicultural Youth Awards in the elementary school category.

The daughter of a Chinese mother and Korean father, Shin takes care of her 6-year-old sister when her mother is out working at night in a restaurant.

With a dream to be a medical doctor, she is actively engaged in community service activities, helping poor neighbors. She participated in the community program “Happy Community We Make” of Daegu Social Service Network and became a “Honorary Social Welfare Worker” granted by the city of Daegu.

Shin’s proficiency in Korean and Chinese has been proven in speech contests. She won an award at the Chungju Bilingual Speech Contest held in North Jeolla Province on Oct. 2. She talked about her desire to be “a creative and thoughtful person bridging Korea and China as a daughter of an interracial family.”

Jeon is an all-round player

middle school

student

Jeon Sung-min

Jeon Sung-min, 15, was selected as a winner in the 3rd Korea Multicultural Youth Awards in the middle school category for his inspirational performance at school.

Jeon is a seventh-grader at Semyung School in Daegu, a special school for the intellectually disabled. Despite his own challenges, he is always active in helping friends and takes the initiative as a class leader, according to his teacher.

His teacher describes him as a “model student” who has a strong sense of responsibility and self-confidence.

Born to a Filipino mother and Korean father, Jeon speaks Korean, English and Tagalog, and is proud of his multicultural background.

Interested in physical activities, he engaged himself in swimming, running, kendo and football.

His active engagement won him a medal in running at the 2014 Korea Special Olympics. Jeon is also talented in drawing, and has won awards in drawing contests.

Hardship doesn’t stop Hwang

Hwang Do-dam

Hwang Do-dam, 16, was named a recipient in the 3rd Korea Multicultural Youth Awards in the middle school category for her positive attitude and efforts in chasing her dream against all odds.

Her Ghanaian mother died of a stroke in 2008, and her father jumped to his death two years later because of economic hardship. Hwang now lives with her two brothers with the support of Pastor Kim Hae-sung, whom she calls “father.”

Nonetheless, she has never stopped pursuing her dream. Interested in modeling, she has practiced her walking and poses, which led her to make her debut on the runway last year, and to do a photo shoot with ELLE this year. Being an inspiration for people from multicultural families, she has waged a public campaign about multiculturalism.

Formerly a victim of discrimination due to her appearance, she overcame it through her positive attitude. Hwang, who goes to the multicultural Jiguchon School, helps friends who have similar issues, and helps them get accustomed to a life in Korea. These days she views the fact that she is different not as a challenge, but as a strong point that can work in her favor as she continues to pursue her dream of being a model.

Li’s perseverance triumphs

Outstanding high school student

Li Na

Li Na, 19, won a 3rd Korea Multicultural Youth Awards in the high school category for her perseverance in overcoming challenges. Li is a sophomore at Ansan International Business High School in Gyeonggi Province.

This is Li’s third year in Korea. She was born in China. Arriving in Korea three years ago, she had hard time fitting into school. Her language was far from fluent, making her an object of ridicule among her peers. Moving onto high school, she decided to quit. Persuaded by her teacher, however, she stayed, only for one month initially, and things began to change.

Li earned the trust of her classmates with her language skills, social skills and compassion. She was chosen to represent her class for two semesters in a row in her first year. She was again chosen to be the leader of the class this year thanks to her proven leadership skills.

Her academic performance improved rapidly. In her first semester at Ansan High School, she became a top student in her class. She still maintains that. She is, in particular, proud of the fact that she was recognized for her good Korean language. Li speaks fluent Chinese inherited from her mother. She aspires to be a hotelier.

Kang shows hard-working spirit

Kang Dong-il

Born to a Japanese mother and Korean father, Kang Dong-il, 18, is a winner in the 3rd Korea Multicultural Youth Awards in the high school category.

Studying at Sunchang High School in North Jeolla Province, Kang has impressed many with his hard-working spirit.

Last year, he won the top prize at a spelling bee organized by the school. Also, he captured third-place in a mathematics competition hosted by the school in July of this year, followed by the second-place prize in a science book review contest.

His teacher Jin Haeng-ryol said Kang is the most focused and hard-working student he knows. Kang is also a rare student with full awareness of what he wants and what it will take for him to achieve it, his teacher said. Kang once told his teacher that he realized early on that his innate capacity is not superb, and that he had to work harder to succeed. He is the leader of an academic club studying economics.

Apart from his school work, Kang volunteered to clean roads in his neighborhood and participated in local festivals as a volunteer.

He said he wants to be a teacher or an accountant.

Woori Danuri helps migrant families

Outstanding volunteer

Woori Danuri club at Sangji Girls’ High School

Woori Danuri from Sangji Girl’s High School in Wonju, Gangwon Province, was chosen as the group winner of the outstanding volunteer award in the 3rd Korea Multicultural Youth Awards for its interactions with interracial families.

Launched in 2009, the group consisting of 40 student members has been helping marriage immigrants and migrant workers in Wonju, Gangwon Province, where the school is located, integrate into society. Two members of the group are the children of interracial families. Earlier this year, the group received a volunteer award from Gangwon Province.

Woori Danuri works in collaboration with a local non-governmental organization (NGO) “With Community.” The NGO organizes Korean classes, Korean cultural orientation, a lecture series on cultural diversity and sports and artistic activities. Woori Danuri members help the group in organizing those activities.

Last month, Woori Danuri members delivered briquettes to underprivileged families in Wonju. In June, the group organized a lecture series, with a guest lecturer speaking about the importance of cultural diversity in Korea.

Choi’s selflessness touches many

Choi Su-ho, 15, an eighth-grader at Whangdeung Middle School in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, is the winner of the outstanding volunteer award in the 3rd Korea Multicultural Youth Awards. Born to a Japanese mother and a Korean father, Choi has kept an excellent record of volunteering.

Since 2013, he’s been volunteering at a nursing home in his neighborhood every Saturday. He sings, dances and performs musical instruments for the elderly, chats with them and does cleanings around the property.

At school, Choi started a volunteer group called “Nonamegi” last year. The group meets on Saturday with different types of work, and won the best volunteer award from North Jeolla Province late last year.

He is also spearheading an effort to recycle at school.

His classmates know him as a counselor. His teacher said Choi has excellent listening skills and knows to sympathize with others. Last year, he participated in a marathon for the disabled, and ran along with them to help them during the event. He is good at playing musical instruments, especially the ocarina, and wants to be a scientist.

Jang chooses to stay humble and helpful

Special jury award

Jang Da-rae, 17, a 10th-grader at Daejeon Foreign Language High School in Daejeon, was chosen as a winner of the special jury award in the 3rd Korea Multicultural Youth Awards for her academic excellence and helping spirit.

Jang was born to a Russian mother and a Korean father. Her Russian proficiency is equivalent to that of a native speaker, according to her academic record. She is top in her class and wins all the Russian language-related awards.

Her humble attitude and desire to help others makes her outstanding. She founded a group for her peers who study Russian. The group meets on weekends, and she invited her mother in as a tutor. Jang also volunteered as an interpreter when a group of Russian students visited Daejeon earlier this year.

Jang shows great interest in extra-curricular activities. She is a painter and a member of the school orchestra.

Earlier this year, she was honored for her volunteer work by the school. She is sending money every month to a girl in Uganda through World Vision, an NGO. In the wake of the Sewol ferry disaster in April, she also organized a photo exhibition at her school, commemorating victims of the disaster. She said she wants to be a diplomat.

Sim is versatile

Sim In-na

Sim In-na, 11, a fourth-grader at Seoul Yongsan Elementary School in Seoul, was selected as a winner of the special jury award at the 3rd Korea Multicultural Youth Awards for her versatility.

Sim is fluent in languages. In August, Sim received a language award for Korean and Russian from the Seoul National University of Education. Both of her parents are native Russian speakers, with her father from Uzbekistan and her mother from Russia. The family has been living in Korea for more than three years. In addition, Sim speaks Chinese and English, which she learns privately.

She is also participating in a weekend science camp hosted by Seoul National University of Education. She is a bookworm and was honored for that by her school library in July. She wants to be a veterinarian, and her academic record shows outstanding performance in science and mathematics. She won the second-highest award in an invention competition in April. Her teacher wrote that her interest in science is exceptional, as well.

She also shows an exceptional talent in dancing. She can dance ballet, ballroom and sports dancing. Last month, she won an award at a sports dance competition in Korea. Sim also plays the piano and the violin. Among her classmates, she is known as a kind classmate who is ready to offer help to anyone in need.