So far, I’ve lived in more than ten cities across five countries on two continents. I was born and raised in South Korea (Jeonju, Daejeon, Seoul, Changwon, and Dongducheon) and have also lived in Hong Kong (Kowloon Tong), Taiwan (Muzha District, Taipei City), Canada (Vancouver), and across the United States, including the San Francisco Bay Area (CA), Ann Arbor (MI), Cambridge (MA), and the Research Triangle (NC). My path has been non-linear, spanning academia, industry, public service, and civic technology. These experiences have shaped my identity as a bridge builder and translator—someone who works across boundaries of scholarship and practice, discipline and sector, and place and community.

At the same time, my perspective and career path have been shaped by where I began. I’m a first-generation college student from a working-class family. These experiences continue to shape the research questions I pursue and the problems I choose to engage with. I agree with what late Michael Burawoy (1947-2025) highlights in his call for public sociology and the need for reflexive, critical practice in social science research:

“We are part of the world we study – participants in the world we observe or observers in the world in which we participate. We are not above the world; we are in the world. There’s no knowledge from nowhere.” – Michael Burawoy (1947-2025)

Below is a collection of essays I’ve written over the years, organized into three categories: professional reflections, personal reflections, and career advice. You can also find my writing on Substack.

Professional Reflections

Personal Reflections

Career Advice

Korean essays

Here are some resources that have shaped my thinking on how social sciences can critically and directly inform, as well as improve, policy practice (listed alphabetically):

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