[1]The Korean American Citizens League of New England (KACL) held its 11th Annual Fundraising Dinner for Political Interns on Saturday, April 12, 2008, at Hilton Hotel Woburn (in Woburn, Mass.). The net proceeds from the event, which drew about 150 supporters, will be used to fund KACL's political internship program.
Each year, KACL selects college students for its summer internship program. The interns are typically placed in the offices of U.S. Senators, Congressmen, or state government officials and receive a stipend of $2,000.
The internship provides young Korean Americans an opportunity to experience the American political system firsthand, as well as a chance to develop interpersonal skills. This year, the program was extended to high school students.
The 2008 KACL Internship selectees are Jae Won Lee, Tufts University; Yeonman Jung, UMass Amherst; and Michael Shin, Groton School. KACL Chairperson Yang-Kil Kim presented the selectees with scholarships at the dinner.
The night's event began with Korean Counsel General Ji Young-sun and Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon providing congratulatory opening remarks. They stressed the importance of programs such as KACL's to encourage greater political participation by young Korean Americans.
Last year's intern Michael Dong spoke about his experiences working at a state government office. Recalling that his first day as intern at the governor's office making phone calls to various departments for scheduling didn't go so well, Dong said that internship experience has given him greater confidence about dealing with people.
A great interest was generated by this year's keynote speaker Juliana Kim-Moustakas who was an intern at the U.S. Senate Staff office. She currently works at the Bank America, London office as a risk management specialist. She advises her clients, who are mostly institutional investors such as public pension funds, on managing their investment risks.
In her keynote speech, Juliana Kim-Moustakas spoke about fading of the divide between the private and public sectors. She said, "Higher risk lending, enabled through financial innovations, desire for greater risk-taking, and short-term profits, have led to market dislocations."
"Our challenge," she said, "will be in preserving the democratic principles of our society and supporting our political institutions with greater participation in the decision making efforts."
In response to a question from the audience regarding deteriorating conditions of the U.S. economy, Kim-Moustakas was careful to not to directly assign any blame to an individual or group.
However, she pointed out that the low-interest rate policies of former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan have created an environment of easy credit for the past several years, which individuals and businesses took advantage of in leveraging their finances.
In other words, all sectors of the economy from individuals taking on huge mortgages to government deficit spending have created unsustainable economy.
She said before assigning any blames, Americans, who have one of the lowest savings rate in the world, must look at themselves and make fundamental changes to increase savings.
In an interview with KAP immediately after the event, Kim-Moustakas reiterated the need for national economies to pursue policies that promote sustainable growth. On a personal note, Kim-Moustakas stated she was happy living in very cosmopolitan London.
Although she has no immediate plans to return to the US, she hinted that if she ever decides to return, she would most likely pursue a career that helps shape public economic policies.
After the formal ceremonies, the guests were treated to a live jazz performance by a group of local jazz musicians. Sue Yang, the editor of KAP newspaper and the night's entertainment organizer, provided jazz vocal, drawing praises from the audience for her musical talents.
However, the biggest sensation of the night came when Sam Yoon, as a surprise musical guest, joined the group, playing the keyboard.
Jason Lee, who is running for a selectman position in the town of Westwood, and his wife Kristy Lee, a TV news anchor, also attended the night's event. causing additional buzz about the political inroads Korean Americans are beginning to make in the Commonwealth. Lee pitched his candidacy and thanked the Korean American community for generous support it has given.
All in all, the guests were treated to a night of great entertainment and informative talks, and of course being part of a good cause - raising funds for political internship program.
KACL is a non-partisan, non-profit organization founded in 1990 to provide a coherent political voice within the community. Through its internship program, KACL hopes to encourage political involvement of young Korean Americans, foster their interest in public careers, and develop their leadership skills.
See and listen to a video clip of the dinner speakers and jazz band – with Boston city councilor Sam Yoon on keyboard as the surprise musical guest – at bostonkap.com [2].
source: bostonKAP.com [3]
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