“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Jane Goodall
Meet Diana
American. Korean. Not One or The Other
Diana was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri by parents who immigrated to the US from South Korea. She is the oldest of three daughters, and had to quickly help her family learn the ways of life in America, even at a young age.
Growing up, Diana had many opportunities to work with children through babysitting, volunteering through various programs, and church. After years of convincing her parents, who wanted her to be a doctor, lawyer, or pharmacist, she finally had her parents blessing to go into education to become a teacher.
Through her studies and teaching opportunities, Diana gained more insight about herself. She discovered:
1. the importance of being a lifelong learner,
2. with diligence and resilience, she was capable of accomplishing her goals,
and 3. she loves inspiring others to live out the fullest towards their dreams and vision for their life.
Diana came to Korea in 2008 to teach fourth grade at an international school. Soon after, she fell in love with the country and with teaching abroad. After much debate, she decided to try a new challenge and teach at the university level. Diana taught English as an associate professor at a women's university. During her time teaching as a professor, she fell in love again. This time with her husband, Peter. Within their first year of marriage, they had a son, Jeremy.
Diana decided to make a move back into classroom teaching in the elementary grades. She landed a job at the school she is currently teaching at. Here, she has learned how to cultivate inquiry through the IB and PYP program, and was captivated by the joys and challenges of how to make learning more meaningful for students. She was also faced with the obstacles of online learning during the time of COVID-19.
Through the years, Diana has discovered more about herself as a wife, mother, teacher, student, and leader.
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”– Walt Disney