ROAR Story Slam

Schedule

Friday, March 31, 2023
7:30 p.m. Program
9:30 p.m. After-Party

ROAR Story Slam is a live storytelling competition from Korean American Story where six finalists share their story! Get ready for an evening celebrating the importance of storytelling and community as finalists have no more than six minutes to share their stories while adhering to this year's theme of "What the Heck." 

Join us afterwards for light refreshments and to learn more about Korean American Story and the finalists. 

About the Finalists

Jimmy Byrne (he/him) is a Korean adoptee born in Haman-gun as 조윤호 and raised in Manlius, New York. After a 12-year career in performing arts management, he moved to Seoul, South Korea in 2020 to study Korean language and explore the country of his birth. Jimmy moved back to the U.S. in the fall of 2022 and currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. He works as a proud staff member of National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, organizing Korean and Asian Americans to achieve racial, economic, and social justice. He would like to thank Korean Adoptees of Chicago for changing his life, Middlebury Language Schools's School of Korean for teaching him the language he was born to speak, and all friends and family who have supported him throughout a most unexpected journey of self-identity, acceptance, and love. 

Tina Kim is a native Houstonian and has been a pediatric nurse for 14 years. As a former neonatal ICU nurse, she led multiple group initiatives to improve quality outcomes. Today, she is a nursing house supervisor and models her leadership through service and empathy. She is also the mother to two beautiful children and an advocate for her eldest son with autism. She shares about their experiences around the stigmas surrounding mental health and welcomes others to dive into their family’s journey in navigating their unique world.

Young Kim is a 31-year-old Korean-American born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He lives in New York City working as a Field Producer for the #1 Sunday morning news program, CBS Sunday Morning, where he gets to work on quirky, cultural stories. When he's not traveling for work, you'll find him swing dancing, knitting in whiskey bars, or baking pies.

Danny Maiuri (he/him/él) is a Queer Korean-American adoptee living in NYC. He is an activist and organizer working in and across the intersections of: BIPOC liberation; AANHPI empowerment; disability justice; immigrant rights; and the proliferation of LGBTQ+ joy. He is a voracious reader, K-pop stan, and aspiring Spanish, Korean, and American Sign Language polyglot. He currently works at the Arcus Foundation, a leading global foundation advancing pressing social justice and conservation issues and serves as the Co-Chair of the New York chapter of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy.

Kwonperat Teimchaiyapoom is a Houstonian native who recently graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and a minor in World Cities. She currently works at Serrano Gallery as an assistant, developing an understanding of the art world and its market. Her free time is spent creating art through photo manipulation.

Joseph Yoo is the pastor of Mosaic Episcopal Church in Pearland. He is also the author of When the Saints Go Flying In. You can connect with Joe here: https://linktr.ee/JosephYoo

About the Special Guests

Fusing smooth guitar licks with bold hip-hop production, Jackie Faye’s sound occupies a space in alternative R&B that’s her own. Born and raised in Dallas, Jackie grew up at the cultural intersection between her Taiwanese–Korean heritage and her budding love for musical influences such as Erykah Badu, Jazmine Sullivan, Nicki Minaj, and even UGK. Combine all that with her southern roots AND her queer identity… you’ve got an anomaly of an artist with a voice that has yet to be seen or heard in today’s music industry.

An Emmy Award-winning reporter, Tiffany Justice is a Korean American Journalist in Houston, a Top 10 TV Market. Justice has worked in the industry for 9-plus years, living in several cities across the U.S. She studied at The University of Utah, graduating with a double major in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science. She’s passionate about informing the public and highlighting the accomplishments of the Korean community.

About the Judges

Theresa Choh-Lee is a co-founder of Korean American Story, along with her husband, HJ Lee. Professionally, she is currently Leader, GROHE/DXV/INAX Brands at LIXIL. 

Born in Korea and immigrated to Ohio at the age of 5, Theresa grew up in non-diverse communities so she was elated as an adult to immerse herself in the NYC Korean American community and finally celebrate her unique bicultural identity.

Theresa is also a founding member of HA:N United Methodist Church, a virtual progressive Asian American queer-celebrating church, where she now serves as Finance Chair. In her spare time, she loves baking, long distance running, and hiking national parks. She and HJ live in Scarsdale, NY and are proud parents of Nina and Kevin.

David Lee is the President and Co-founder of the Texas Signal. He focuses on strategic partnerships, business growth, and policy for the organization. Currently, David is on leave to serve as Senior Advisor to Beto O’Rourke for his 2022 Gubernatorial campaign. Previously, David was the Texas Political Director for Mike Bloomberg’s Presidential campaign, the National Finance Coalitions Director for Beto O’Rourke’s Presidential campaign, and was a Policy Advisor for Beto O’Rourke during his 2018 U.S. Senate race. David graduated from Georgetown University, majoring in Government and Political Theory, and received a Master's degree in International Political Economy from Stanford University. David is on the boards of Texas Future Project, New Leaders Council (national board), NextGen America, VoteSimple, Global Americans, Chicken and Egg Pictures, Be The Solution, AAPI Victory Fund, and the Philanthropy Workshop.

In his free time, David is an avid aquarist and is on his 4th generation of neocaridina shrimp.

Susan Jhin, a proud Houstonian, is dedicated to uplifting and celebrating Korea and Korean Americans within her community. Mobilizing local Korean Americans to make cloth masks for COVID-19 relief, the Council of Korean Americans recognized Susan for the Unsung Hero's Award. In 2018, Susan was nominated for the President's Award for her services as an interpreter at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. In partnership with the Children's Museum of Houston, Susan curated the museum's traveling exhibit, Heart and Seoul, and continues to serve on the Board. Passionate about her community, Susan is the driving force bringing Korean American Story's ROAR Story Slam and Legacy Project to Houston.

Susan holds an MBA from Yale University with international marketing experience from Glaxo SmithKline.

Dona Murphey is a neurologist, neuroscientist, historian of science, and community organizer who organizes at the intersections of race, poverty, immigration, and health. Understanding the intimate relationship between the health of individuals, our communities, and our democracy, she ran for her local school board in Pearland, Texas, in 2019. In 2020, Dona co-founded the patient-centered, justice, and equity-oriented political action committee Doctors In Politics. Driven by the same ethos, she has co-founded PrognosUs, a public benefit tech-enabled startup that leverages community to reduce racialized health disparities in dementia through culturally responsive and language-specific access to health information, peer support and clinical trials. Outside of work, Dona is a wife and mother of two fiercely feminist daughters.

Kyung B. Yoon is the president and co-founder of the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF), the first and largest philanthropic organization in the U.S. dedicated to strengthening Korean American communities. Her career in poverty alleviation, development economics, and media encompasses her roles as the Executive Producer of Television at the World Bank Institute and a correspondent for WNYW-Fox Channel 5 where she made history as the first Korean American broadcast reporter in NYC. Kyung is currently a contributing reporter to CUNY-TV’s Asian American Life, which is broadcast nationally on PBS stations and for which she received an Emmy nomination. She has previously served as the board chair of Philanthropy New York and Americans and Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, as a trustee of the New York Foundation, and as a board member of the United Way of New York City.

About Korean American Story

Korean American Story is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to capture, create, preserve, and share stories of the Korean American experience. We seek to be an inclusive hub bridging gaps between communities and generations while instilling cultural awareness and pride through storytelling. Korean American Story's content will all be archived at the University of Southern California's Korean Heritage library for future generations.

About KAS | Website | Instagram | Facebook

ROAR Story Slam Presenting Partner

ROAR Story Slam Sponsors

Executive Producer
Eddie Allen & Chinhui Juhn

Producer
Susan & Michael Jhin

Director
David & Hyunja Norman

Assistant Director
David Shin
Julianne & Casey Youn

ROAR Story Slam Community Partners

Education and Outreach programs at Asia Society Texas are presented by Wells Fargo. Generous funding also provided by​ Cathay Bank Foundation and the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation. Additional support is provided by Friends of Asia Society Texas, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing the best in exhibitions and public programming to Houston. 

Presenting Sponsor

Additional Support

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.