And so it begins!

College is a crucial time in every young person’s life. It’s when people finally learn how to live without mommy and daddy doing everything for them, when morals and principles are put to the test and when people finally discover their passion in life. For me, it has been all of these things. While being at the University of South Florida, I have realized my true passion lies in social justice and human rights. I want to spend the rest of my life making sure people treat others with dignity, while educating people about ways they can help innocent people live their lives without suffering.

One issue that have caught my attention in learning about human rights issues is the crisis in North Korea. Not only does the North Korean government limit free speech, assembly, press and religion. Wrong doers and wrong thinkers are punished in ways we could never imagine, sometimes even with death. Also, there is an insane amount of people who are malnourished because the government barely rations enough food to keep people alive. What makes this worse is when North Korean citizens try to flee their country in search of freedom, they are often not welcomed in to the neighboring countries and often killed in the process of making a better life for themselves and their family.

In beginning my journey to help end human suffering and educating my peers about social justice infringements, I have decided to spend my summer doing an internship with Liberty in North Korea. On May 22nd, I will be flying into the Los Angeles and will be moving into a house with the rest of LiNK’s interns. We are all called “nomads,” because after spending a couple weeks in L.A., learning more about the crisis in North Korea, we will be divided into teams and sent in vans around different regions around the United States. We will spend the rest of the summer couch surfing and living out of our van, traveling from churches to summer camps and college campuses to temples, screening documentaries and speaking to various groups about the North Korean dilemma, encouraging them to help ignite the change we need.

LiNK is a non-profit and all of their interns are volunteers, so I will not being getting paid over the summer. I still have to pay for my food, toiletries, outings, bills back home and other necessities throughout my three-month adventure. This is why I am writing you this letter: to ask for your help in making this summer a possibility. I know money is tight for everyone right now, and I would not be asking if I didn’t think this was an infinitely valuable way to spend my summer. Anything helps—even $10 dollars would be appreciated. If you can’t help monetarily, please just keep me in your thoughts and send me some good vibes throughout my journey. If you would like to donate, please make a check payable to Liberty in North Korea and send it to:

LiNK
1751 Torrance Blvd. Ste L
Torrance, CA 90501.

Remember to write my name in the memo portion of the check so they can put it in my account, rather than the general nomad account that is used to buy gas and pay for the housing in L.A. If you would rather send cash, you can, just put a note in the envelope letting them know your donation is meant for me. Also, all donations are tax deductable.

Thank you so much. While on the road, I am planning on keeping up with this blog so everyone can see what I am up to and where I am every step of the way. I’d love if you would read along and comment. If you would like to learn more about LiNK and the North Korean crisis, visit their website, www.linkglobal.org.