Our
Camp Director
Grace J. Yoo is a second generation Korean American and a mother of 2 boys. She is a professor of Asian American Studies at SFSU. She has been teaching Koreans in America since 1997. She is a sociologist and has researched and written about issues within the Korean American and Asian American communities. She was inspired to participate in the development in this camp because of her third generation sons and her hope that kids of all backgrounds might find Korean language and Korean American history fun! Camp Co-Directors
Kira Donnell is a Korean adoptee poet, scholar, and activist. In 2009, Kira reconnected with her birthmother in Seoul after 27 years of separation. Kira keeps a personal blog that documents their reunion and the developing relationships with her birthfamily. You can read her blog at starlingblue.blogspot.com. Kira holds a BA in English Literature and Environmental Studies from the University of Michigan, an MA in Asian American Studies from San Francisco State University, and is currently in a doctoral program in Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. Kira spent several seasons as a riding instructor and counselor at Camp Manitou-Lin, a YMCA camp in Michigan, and also acted as the Director of Educational Programs at Scio Church Stables where she developed their summer horse camp curriculum and ran their lesson program, and acted as the Youth Programs Coordinator for the Korean American Women Artists and Writers Association
Our Camp Instructors
Jennifer Hoang is currently a Child and Adolescent development major at San Francisco State University. She has worked with youths from all
over the Bay Area. She has taken the Korean American studies course and gained a better appreciation for Korean and Korean American history and culture. As a young adult, culture has been a continuously important aspect in finding her own identity and she hopes to help bring that same experience to camp. Jennifer will be teaching K-pop dance to kids at camp.
Emma Lee recently graduated from Lowell High School and will be entering the University of California, Santa Cruz with a major in Linguistics. She is bilingual in Korean. For nine years, she learned Korean through Claire
Lilienthal’s immersion program. She also completed Lowell High School’s Korean program and graduated with a
biliterate credential in Korean. As an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz, she plans to study
abroad in Korea. This is her second year teaching Korean at camp.
Tristan "TJ" Medina is currently an Asian American Studies major at San Francisco State University. He has 7 years of child care experience working as a
summer camp counselor for the YMCA. Even prior to taking Korean American studies, he has been an avid listener and lover
of K-Pop and always try to stay up to date with the music and the
music culture. He also has interests in the Korean language and food. Tristan will be the K-Pop Dance instructor at camp.
Michael Menezes recently graduated with a degree in Kinesiology at San Francisco State University. As an Indian American
born and raised in San Francisco, he has a passion for baseball and
dancing. His interest in dancing and the Korean culture was sparked
through the high-energy, soul-feeding music of Korean popular music. While at SFSU, he had been
involved with the Korean Student Association on campus. For several years, he had been performing dances at the Korean Cultural Show. He will be the K-Pop Dance instructor at the camp.
Jasmyne
Pierson recently graduated from Lowell High School and will be attending University of California Irvine as a Business Administration major.
She is a native San Franciscan and identifies as a biracial third
generation Korean American. She can speak, read, and write in
Korean fluently. She completed and finished her Korean language education at Lowell High School, and took the SAT II in Korean Language. She was also President of her Korean
Language and Culture Club. This is her third year teaching Korean language at the camp.
ChangWoo Yun is a student at San Francisco State University. He is an international student from Korea. Currently, he is the Vice President of Korean Student Association at SFSU. A recent student in the Korean American studies course at SFSU, he has a passion with sharing Korean culture with Korean Americans and non-Koreans alike. He will be teaching arts/crafts and Korean calligraphy at the camp.Our Special Guest Appearances
Illhyun Kim grew up with a mother who was a professional Korean Traditional dancer and has been a Korean traditional dancer since her childhood but also studied ballet and a contemporary dance at JoongAng University in Korea. Since her immigration to the U.S. in early 1990 with her husband, she has been a pioneer in educating youth and general public about Korean dance in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a founder of Ilhyun Kim Dance Studio and has been the first Korean dancer chosen to perform at Ethnic Dance Festival, Asian Art Museum, etc.. Ilhyun’s goal has been pursuing and presenting the meaning and possibilities of Korean dance.
Timmon Li graduated with an Asian American Studies degree from San Francisco State University. He was an officer
for the Korean Student Association at San Francisco State University. As a Chinese American born and
raised in San Francisco, he became interested in Korean culture through
his studies in Korean American Studies and through his love of K-pop and
hip hop dancing. In this last years KSA cultural show, he helped
showcase hip hop dancing. 