Reflections On KAC
Students share thoughts on their experiences with KAC

Ignited By The Passion And Fire

I had few expectations for the KAC National College Leadership Conference (NCLC). On the first day, I was pessimistic and uncomfortable with introducing myself to people. But sitting down in that room was the beginning of what would be one of the best experiences of my life. Over the course of the next five days I would learn more about myself and the KA community than in my previous 19 years.

The theme for the 25th NCLC was “Stand Up,” and at the conference, I saw 12 speakers that were doing just that. Each of these speakers had something valuable and inspiring to share, and I still cannot believe how lucky I am to have had the opportunity to take it all in. Doug Kim’s Korean history lesson and Do Kim’s road less traveled helped chip away at my ignorance and indifference. Eddie Shin’s awesome journey, K.W. Lee’s blood-shedding passion and Adrian Hong’s fight for human rights all made me realize that there really are amazing people in the KA community.

By the Wednesday night campfire, I was ready to stand up, stay up and be the spark to start a wildfire. Before the conference was over, I knew that I was going to leave with not only newfound knowledge, but also newfound friendships. Sure, there were only five days to meet over 40 people, but when the days are as fun-filled, thought-provoking and wandershlafenhausen as these were, five is plenty.

— Michael Kim, Claremont Colleges junior

A Different Kind Of Retreat

What was the KAC NCLC like? Honestly, the best way I can describe it is like a church youth group retreat. We spent a few isolated days at a family-owned camp site, put on silly skits and stayed up the whole last night eating cup ramen and playing mafia. Instead of a preacher imparting words of wisdom, we had renowned speakers. Instead of studying the Bible, we learned about Korean American history. And instead of group discussions about Jesus, we discussed race relations. But what made it most like a church retreat were the raw emotions, the genuine camaraderie and the renewed passion that everyone took from the experience.

Every ounce of this conference was loaded — we covered topics about the KA agenda, discussed controversial problems, had thought-provoking conversations and were challenged on our beliefs. We also played every icebreaker imaginable, befriended each other and laughed so hard we fell out of our seats.

I feel like I stuck out a little. Almost everyone else had already explored KA affairs deeply. There were about a dozen KASA presidents and even more Asian American studies majors, while I was living in a sorority house with 60 white girls. It didn’t matter, and I found myself bringing something different to the table. And that’s exactly what that conference was all about — throwing a whole bunch of funny, smart college kids from across the country together with the common desire of talking and learning about the KA community. What arose was something amazing.