Theme: Community: Where do you belong?

"Where do you belong?" To some, this could be interpreted as where I am from; to others it can be interpreted as what I have built. The theme of community is guided by the idea of belonging, unity, and togetherness. Maybe you have an amazing story about empathy, an experience where you stepped out of your comfort zone, or an idea of making connections. Come hear what our speakers have to say about their experiences, their dedications and passions. Author John Donne might have said it best in his meditative prose, “No man is an island entire of itself"; we look forward to bringing stories of various ways the word "community" can be interpreted and celebrated.

Join us. We can't wait to host you.

GSIS
451 YeongTong-Ro, YeongTong-Gu
Suwon-si, Gyeonggido, 16706
South Korea

Aarushi Agiwal

Student

Aarushi is a Grade 8 student currently attending Gyeonggi Suwon International School. She moved to South Korea from India five years ago. Aarushi is an active member of her school theater community and the National Junior Honor Society. She has discovered her love of books, letting the world between pages help shape her into a young lady passionate for singing, art and design.

AK Salling

Business Owner and advocate for global overseas adoptees

AK was born in Korea, adopted to and grew up in Denmark, and resettled in Korea after 12 years of working in the public sector in Denmark. Searching for new adventures, she resettled in Korea where she united her Korean roots and Danish background by working for international adoptees at Global Overseas Adoptees Link (G.O.A.L), an NGO based in Seoul providing services and community space for overseas adoptees in Korea and worldwide. She is the owner of a cooking and baking studio, Mad og Hygge, where she teaches how to bake and cook primarily Danish breads, cakes and food.

Eddie Lozano

Educator

Eddie has worked with thousands of international students and hundreds of educators and ministry leaders. With 13 years of international ministry experience, Eddie serves as Student Minister and Bible Department Head for Gyeonggi Suwon International School where he has developed leadership, discipleship, and mission programs. He is a director for H3, a youth ministry network in Seoul, and holds an MA in Global Leadership with emphasis in Missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary. After completing ministry training in England, Eddie moved to the Republic of Korea in 2005. While serving on a plant church’s leadership team, he regularly wrote for Korea’s largest English devotional, Living Life, which at that time had a readership of 30,000 people. His favorite place in the world is La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and in a perfect world, he would replace all his email correspondences with a sit down talk over coffee on his parents’ porch.

Jihyun Roh

Full time staff at L.I.N.K.

Jihyun is from Daejeon, South Korea. He completed his Masters in Liberal Arts at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, USA. Currently, he works for an international NGO called Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), which focuses on rescuing North Korean refugees in danger, helping them get resettled in a free and safe society. LiNK is also dedicated to changing how the world views the North Korean people.

Joy Lau

Teacher

Joy is a world traveler and an avid diver. Her life took an unexpected turn when she discovered underwater photography as it developed into a new life goal to protect the ocean and its inhabitants. Raised as a third culture kid, Joy lived and worked internationally throughout her whole life and is currently an international educator at Chadwick International School in Songdo, Korea. She has presented in different educational workshops for teachers and parents as well as conferences hosted by Korea Overseas Council of Schools. Joy is also a talented video producer and editor, sharing her love of music and dance through creative digital media.

Jun Woo Kang

Student

Having lived in Budapest, Hungary for 6 years, Jun Woo is currently a Grade 11 student at Gyeonggi Suwon International School. Jun Woo is the author of short stories “Another Summer”, “Daniel Fitzpatrick: A Short Story About Bullying”, “A January Storm”, and is currently working on a novel entitled Not All Gold Glitters. Jun Woo is also an active member of his community and participates in various service projects. He is a co-founder of Thinker Library Foundation, a service project between multiple international schools in Korea to build a community library for underprivileged children.

Justin Yoon

Crossfit Trainer

Justin grew up in New Zealand, Korea, and the United States. He is the owner and head coach of CrossFit BP Lab. He is also one of only four coaches in the country who are CrossFit level 3 certified. He is passionate about changing people’s lives through coaching and the CrossFit methodology. He also believes he has the cure for world’s most vexing problem: chronic disease. He is passionate about building tough yet humble athletes and coaches to better the CrossFit community. Growing up in three different countries, Justin has had the opportunity to connect with people from all walks of life. Justin also enjoys skateboarding, stand up land paddling, and having outdoor barbecues.

Kiki Oosterbroek

Owner of L.I.F.E. Coaching and Training

Greeting each day with a smile, run, and meditation, Kiki brings inspiration, trust, a sense of calm and focus to her relationships. As an executive Life Coach, her passion is working with professionals seeking to improve their leadership skills through collaborative communication. She is educated in the Netherlands at Leiden University in law and psychology, a certified Marshall goldsmith stakeholder leadership coach and a fervent student of the human mind-body connection and its impact on potential and performance. In her coaching, Kiki focuses on growing emotional awareness in leaders, unlocking people’s potential to help them increase their own business potentials.

Mark McElroy

Instructional Technology Coach

An educator of 18 years, Mark is currently an Instructional Technology Coach at Korea International School. Prior to this, he was the Director of Learning Innovation at Shekou International School in Shenzhen, China. Mark is a product of the international school system, graduating from the International School of Kuala Lumpur. An Apple Distinguished Educator, he has presented at the EARCOS Leadership Conference, 21Century Learning Hong Kong, Learning 2.0, iPad and various technology conferences throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Mark is currently exploring ways to scale innovation in schools and transform contemporary learning practices by empowering student voice.

Morri Koester

Comic Artist

A conflict resolution practitioner by profession and a comic artist by trade, Morri is presently working on Sea Legs, a comic that utilizes conflict resolution knowledge to provide a compelling story about the power of choice and narrative. Originally from Virginia, USA, she has lived and traveled abroad for a significant portion of her adult life in Germany, Sweden, Malta, Italy, and now, the South Korea. She received her BA and MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University and finds fulfillment in helping others develop non-violent communication language for everyday use. Her current research is dedicated to the historical significance of how comics have been used socio-politically.

Summer Freeman

Student

Summer is an extraordinary Grade 5 student at Gyeonggi Suwon International School. She was born in Calgary, Alberta, holds a Canadian passport, but has lived abroad for 70% of her life in China and Korea. Active in her school council and various performances, Summer is a courageous 10-year-old unafraid to be on stage. Summer has a sister and brother on either side of her and therefore has the benefit of being the middle child: full of patience, cooperation, and a willingness to try new things. Summer loves dancing, gymnastics, CrossFit and doing tricks with her cat, Maple Tiger.

Yangsook Choi

Author

Yangsook Choi, author of The Name Jar, grew up in Seoul, Korea. She started drawing at the age of 4 and loved telling her grandma scary stories. After moving to New York to pursue her passion for art, she has written and illustrated many books for young readers. Her books have been acclaimed as “Best of the Best” by the Chicago Public Library, included on the American Library Association Notable Book list, selected by PBS Reading Rainbow, and have received the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award. When she is not creating, she loves to meet and play with children in her community and around the world. The local children in a shelter, the mountain children in the Himalayas, the Bedouin children in the Arabian desert, the orphans in flooded Cambodia, and the North Korean defector children are among her greatest teachers.