Did you know that among Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), Korean Americans have the greatest rate of undocumented immigrants?  In a Huffington Post article titled “Korean Americans March for America,” Minsuk Kim writes about the struggles of undocumented Korean-American immigrants and you’ll be surprised who they are.  They’re people who are manual laborers to ivy league students.  And they have one thing in common and that it’s a struggle to survive.

Nearly a quarter million Korean Americans are undocumented as the result of this promise of a better life coming into conflict with the realities of the immigration system.

Undocumented Korean American college students have been especially vocal in the fight for immigration reform. The stories of the measures taken by these students and their families to support a college education give the push to pass reform a special sense of urgency. Their hardship extends well beyond their ineligibility for financial aid. A huge question mark looms over their post-graduation plans – without a Social Security number, how are they to find employment?

As the immigration reform movement escalates in size and intensity, undocumented Korean American students will continue to make their voices heard. On March 21, over 100,000 people from every corner of America will come together in Washington D.C. to show their support for immigration reform in a “March For America,” and Korean Americans from California to New Jersey will be among them.

For the full article, go to the Huffington Post.

Michelle Rhee is the lighting bolt chancellor of the Washington D.C. school district and she’s made a lot of press lately because she let go a handful of teachers last month.  She’s been viewed as controversial and she’s approaching her second anniversary on the job.  History will be the judge of her work but what can be said is that prior to her arrival, the school district was an abysmal failure and the people who were truly hurt by this were the children who were educated in that school district.  Obviously the status quo could no longer be acceptable and she’s made some clear and dramatic changes.  Let’s hope that we start seeing the results for the sake of these kids.

So what does she think as she enters deeper into her administration?  The Washington Post conducted a video interview of her and asked how things have progressed.

Go to the Washington Post for the video interview.

Remember Yul Kwon?  He was the Korean-American who outlasted other contestants and won $1M on the reality show Survivor.  Since his triumph, he’s been trying to figure out his next moves with stints on TV.  Well, he’s now joining the Obama administration as deputy chief of the consumer and governmental affairs bureau at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  In previous interviews, he had mentioned his desire to be involved in politics and it looks like he’s made his way to the beltway in Washington D.C.  At least his new zip code will reunite him with his co-contestant Becky Lee, who was also on the same Survivor.  She’s Korean-American and she came close to winning the big prize.  She’s kept close to Yul since they departed the show.   She lives in the D.C. area and currently runs her non-profit “Becky’s Fund,” which brings awareness to domestic violence.

FCC CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI ANNOUNCES SENIOR STAFF IN INTERNATIONAL AND CONSUMER AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAUS

Washington, DC – Today, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the appointment of Mindel De La Torre as Chief of the International Bureau and Yul Kwon as Deputy Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.

“The FCC has an important role to play in empowering and protecting consumers and ensuring that they have access to world-leading communications networks and technologies,” said Chairman Genachowski. “These talented individuals have vast public and private sector experience in communications policy and I am delighted to have their expertise at the agency.”

Chief, International Bureau, Mindel De La Torre. Since 1998, Ms. De La Torre has been the president of the consulting firm Telecommunications Management Group, Inc. (TMG). Prior to joining TMG, Ms. De La Torre was the deputy chief of the Telecommunications Division at the International Bureau, which she joined in December 1994. Ms. De La Torre also worked at the Department of Commerce — for over four years at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and for three years in the General Counsel’s office. She has been a member of various U.S. delegations to International Telecommunication Union conferences, such as World Radiocommunication Conferences, World Telecommunication Development Conferences, and Plenipotentiary Conferences. Ms. De La Torre has a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from the University of Texas. Having lived overseas most of her life, she speaks fluent Portuguese, French, and Spanish, and is proficient in Italian.

Deputy Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Yul Kwon. Mr. Kwon’s diverse career spans across law, technology, business, and media. His government experience includes lecturing at the FBI Academy, drafting science and technology legislation as an aide to Senator Joseph Lieberman, and clerking for Judge Barrington D. Parker on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. In the business and technology sector, Mr. Kwon has held positions at McKinsey & Company, Google, and the Trium Group. He also practiced law as an attorney at Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis and at Venture Law Group. In 2006, Mr. Kwon became the first Asian American to win the CBS reality show, Survivor. His subsequent media activities include working as a special correspondent for CNN and as a co-host for the Discovery Channel. Mr. Kwon obtained his B.S. degree in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University and his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served on the editorial board of the Yale Law Journal.

Michelle Rhee is the young chancellor of the Washington D.C. Public Schools and she’s out to reform one of the worst public school systems in the country.  She calls the status of the current system “a crime.” She’s taking on one of the biggest challenges out there and her approach has been scrutinized and criticized but when the status quo has failed the children miserably, why not pursue an unconventional path.  Michelle was featured in this weekend’s Washington Post and she shares insights about her approach to reforming the school system that she is tasked to oversee and her approach to leadership.

The two insights she gives into leadership is to lead from the front and to better communicate. What does leading from the front mean? Don’t get so mired in bureaucracy and get out front and show a vision and bring people to where you are. And secondly, proactive communication is critical to make sure the message is clear.  She’s a woman of extreme candor and this will naturally cause friction, but she continues to lead out in front.

Source: Washington Post