To Hannah Lee, watching Spain score a goal against Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup’s final transported her to a life-changing moment of her childhood. In 1973, South Korea defeated Israel 1-0, also after a decisive goal during extra time. The same day she and her family watched the dramatic match, her father left to check on his factory, which was based in their backyard. He rescued a worker whose body was unwittingly pulled into a machine.
As a result, her father lost four fingers on his dominant hand. He was unable to write at all after the accident – a craft he had already given up to provide for his family, now taken from him for good.
“Even though my father did not leave us much money, he gave us his strong spirit,” wrote Lee, on the anniversary of her father’s death.
Her father’s journey inspired her to write their story. On Sept. 4, Lee shared it during the launch of “Between Two Languages: A Celebration of Writing, Memory, and New Beginnings,” held at the Chinese American Planning Council in Manhattan. She was joined by her co-authors – fellow English language learners at the nonprofit Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC) – and the instructors who worked with them. Together they celebrated the publication of the book, which features their experiences as Asian immigrant women.
As part of KAFSC’s Economic Empowerment Program, Lee and 11 others spent five weeks over the summer learning to write their favorite memories and immigration stories in English. For many of the writers and their instructors, the experience was about reclaiming their stories and languages and sharing them on behalf of those who could not.
The book contains tales of family and friendship, Lunar New Year traditions, heartbreak and survival. Some stories are as sweet as Jolie’s – a milk-loving dog who spent 17 years with program participant Hyunjoo Yeom. Others speak to the highest hopes of immigrants who dream of mastering English well enough to become professional interpreters and teachers themselves.
“Our mamas, our aunties and grandmas, they’re not only learning the English writing skills, but also they’re reflecting on their lives, bad and good, and challenges and traumas, and also happy memories,” KAFSC Executive Director Jeehae Fischer told Epicenter NYC. She said the class, which is also about learning “love and care for one another,” offers women a rare chance to reflect on their lives and use these memories to connect with peers and younger generations.
Leading this summer’s writing workshop were high school students Emily Hau, Irving Pincus and Lennox Kim, second-generation Korean Americans who said the experience left them both inspired by the women’s immigration stories and more connected to their Korean heritage.
“While they were able to practice speaking in English as their second or third language, I was also able to try my hand and speak Korean, my first language that I can, ironically, no longer speak,” Kim said at the celebration.
“When done right,” he added, “[language] can connect a lot of people and be the biggest passage of connection between generations and cultures.”
The writing workshop was the brainchild of Noah Park, a volunteer who approached KAFSC last year with the idea to help older Korean women write poetry and short stories about their everyday life and relationships. At the time in his high school career, he wanted to become a poet and help others express themselves through creative writing.
While he spent much of this summer in South Korea, Park recruited other second-generation kids to host the classes, including Hau. She and other teaching fellows were recognized by Rep. Grace Meng and Council Member Linda Lee at the Sept. 4 ceremony. Lee and Sang-ho Kim, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in New York, attended the celebration to honor the group.
“We’re able to create something together to share who we are,” Park said, “and mingle both of [these cultures] together.”
Know a Korean American youth interested in leading next summer’s English writing workshop? Reach out to KAFSC at contact@kafsc.org.
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This article was sponsored and produced in partnership with the Korean American Family Service Center.
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