While living in Austin, Texas as a second grader in elementary school I first discovered her book in the corner of a small library. It was titled “A Single Shard.” It was a story about the history of Koryo celadon, which even many Koreans might not be familiar. By the way, the Koryo celadon, as you can see in this picture, the green color of pottery is from koryo dynasty I was fascinated with the story and felt proud that the book about Korea’s heritage won a Newberry Medal –a prestigious literary award for children's books. I was fortunate to meet her book again in literature class in school. Because I was the only Korean student in the class, my teacher asked me to explain the Koryo celadon to the students. Even though I felt a little nervous, I was honored to represent my country just like an ambassador. I even brought a miniature Korean pottery from home and successfully made my presentation. 

On that day, my teacher praised me a lot, which made me enjoy studying English and not be afraid of presenting. I also developed a dream that “someday I want to write a book for children.” In middle school, I experienced another change with her new book, “A Long Walk to Water.” It is a story about African children who had to walk up to eight hours to draw water in spite of the civil war. To them, a war indicated a revolution of life and new start of hope. After reading it, I got a new perspective how to see Sudan – an African country. I thought about how to help them. 

From that point, I became interested in UNICEF's children’s protection project. And I volunteered for the project by translating traditional Korean fairy tales into English Linda Sue Park’s book is used as an auxiliary textbook in many history classes in the U.S. Through the book, she could help the world know more about Africa’s reality. I think she was more influential than digging 10,000 wells and helped many people – including me – learn more about the issue. 

I think this was very influential for me not only for me but also the whole world knowing student's problem. Currently, I am a twelfth grader in high school. And I am trying my best to open a new door called ‘the university.’ I also have plans to write books for children and be a TED speaker to spread my ideas with value. I love a line from the movie ‘Dead Poets Society,’ which is, “Words and ideas can change the world.” In the future, I hope I can change the world with my own words and ideas.  

Thank you for listening.