Embracing Our Authentic Selves to Be Great Storytellers
Presenters
- Victoria Kim, Founder, Doogaji
- Charles Leon Thompson, Founder, Doogaji
Session / Time
- Breakout Session II
- Friday, April 27, 1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
- Glenwood Room
Description
What is your authentic self? Are you bicultural, biracial? What is your heritage? How many languages do you speak?
Are you fluent in your heritage language? Can you cook the “right” dishes? Who gets to decide if you are an insider or an outsider?
We feel that pride in oneself comes from an acceptance of who you are in your own timeline of self-discovery. Doogaji is a result of us embracing our authentic selves as a biracial and bicultural Korean American family, one that is constantly evolving and growing. Through an understanding of ourselves and who we want to be, we have been able to create stories about Korean American characters that are truly authentic because they are true to us. We celebrate our bicultural home environment in an international city as a fluid and interwoven experience of language, food, and culture. It is unique, authentic, and full of wonder.
Goals / Content / Intentionality
- An understanding that the cultural layers of language, food, rituals, and traditions are all gateways into cultural identity and understanding.
- The importance of appreciating who and where you are now.
- Show how Doogaji uses the everyday life events of our five-year-old characters, who live in New York City. Real diversity celebrates the mundane.
- Exercise: Participants will create their own children’s book characters.
Presenter Bios
Victoria Kim, Founder, Doogaji
Victoria Kim, Founder, Doogaji
Victoria Kim was born in Seoul, Korea, and grew up in Malaysia and Korea before her family immigrated to the U.S. when she was 11. Her childhood experiences of growing up in different cultures with different languages taught her to appreciate the uniqueness and similarities of each. Her love of languages and literature led her to study comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley and English education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has been an educator in San Francisco, New York City, and Seoul. In her career, she sought opportunities to teach bilingual education and work with immigrant students. She started writing children’s books to share her love and appreciation of Korean American culture with her son.
Charles Leon Thompson, Founder, Doogaji
Charles Leon Thompson, Founder, Doogaji
Charles Leon Thompson is a Polish American, born in Erie, P.A. and raised in Philadelphia and the New York City region. He has a design background with B.S.Arch and B.Arch degrees in architecture from The Catholic University of America. He has worked in the architecture and education fields for over 20 years in Washington, D.C. and New York City. Charles is Doogaji’s brand creator and the illustrator of the characters and children’s books. His designs come from a desire to celebrate Victoria's Korean American heritage and his son’s Korean American culture.
