About Us - "K31"

Fostering Academic and Professional Growth, Identity, Leadership, Diversity, and Community

From 1987 to 2019, 30 Korean American Student Conferences (KASCONs)
were held on more than 50 American colleges (some were hosted collaboratively).
More than 21,000 students, speakers, supporters, patrons, and donors attended KASCON during this time.
Then the pandemic prevented the Ohio State KASA & KSA from hosting "K31" in March 2020.
Through this bridge conference, we want to first honor the Ohio State Students who worked so hard for nine months to produce a conference that, regrettably, was halted by the pandemic.
We also want to honor the thousands of students who successfully produced the first 30 conferences.
The Mirae Foundation, which had ardently and earnestly steered the conference from "K6" to "K30", was dissolved per IRS rules for inactivity due to the pandemic.
Without Mirae's leadership and stewardship, KASCON would not have made it to its 30th and almost to its 31st in 2020.

Now, with leaders and supporters past and present, and with new supporters and student volunteers,
KASCON is back!
We have a proud and long history from which to rebuild and grow.
Please join us in the effort!

We welcome your participation in and volunteerism for "K31" to rebuild the conference together!

Board of Directors

Thomas Baek

Writer, Editor, Private Tutor, Volunteer, Clarksville, MD; Founder, KASCON;
Director, "K1"; Chairman, "K2"

Dr. Young J. Kim, MD, PhD

Surgeon-scientist & Adjunct Professor, Vanderbilt University; Former Surgeon & Professor, Johns Hopkins; Former Chair of Oncology and the Global Development Scientific Council at Regeneron

Juliana Kwak

Sales Manager at Redfin, Greater Washington, D.C. Metro Area; Attended "K2"

Susan Baek

Production Assistant
at NBC News, New York, NY; BA, School of Public and International Relations; Certificates in Cognitive Science and Asian American Studies; Princeton '23

Board of Advisers

Rev. Hyepin Im

President and CEO of
facela.org; Nominated by President George W. Bush and Confirmed by President Barack Obama to serve on the Board of the Corporation for National and Community Service

SoHyun Bae

Artist living and working in New York, NY;
Area Director, "K2"; BFA, RISD; MFA, Boston University; MA, Theological Studies, Harvard Divinity School

Evan Kim

V.P., Sales, at Sunlight Energy Group, Greater Washington, D.C. Metro Area

Luke Hahn

Technical Project Manager at Axiom Innovation, Washington, D.C.;
Former Naval Reactors Engineer at the U.S. Navy; BA, Physics & Computer Science, UMD - College Park

Brendon S. Kim

Managing Director and Head of Investments at Samsung NEXT Ventures, Palo Alto, CA; Staff, "K1"; Co-director, "K2"; BA, School of Public & International Affairs, Princeton; MBA, Stanford Business School

John Baek

BA, English, Princeton; JD, Washington College of Law at American University

Student Volunteer

General Assistant and
Student Outreach

Noah Kim

NYU '27
New York, NY

Senior Webmaster and
Student Outreach

Daniel Gao

River Hill H.S. '26
Clarksville, MD

Student Outreach

Jerry Huang

CalTech '29
Pasadena, CA

General Assistant and
Student Outreach

Sophia Kwok

William and Mary '25, '26*

Williamsburg, VA

General Assitant and
Student Outreach

Alice S. Lee

River Hill H.S. '26
Clarksville, MD

Research Assistant

Tiffany Sung

UPitt '29
Pittsburgh, PA

Student Outreach

Jerry Li

River Hill H.S. '26

Clarksville, MD

Student Outreach

Joshua Kim

Chappaqua H.S. '26
Chappaqua, NY

General Assistant and
Student Outreach

Michelle Kwak

NYU Stern '28
New York, NY

Research Assistant and
Student Outreach

Christina Kim

UMass Amherst '29
Amherst, MA

Student Outreach

Michael Jiang

Gilman School '26

Baltimore, MD

Research Assistant and
Student Outreach

Grace Li

University of Michigan '28
Ann Arbor, MI

Student Outreach

Joshua Na

UCLA '26
Los Angeles, CA

EDUCATION

Empowering Through Knowledge

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Connecting Diverse Cultures

CAREER

DEVELOPMENT

Building Future Leaders

DIVERSITY

SUPPORT

Embracing Inclusivity

Our Initiatives

Our Values

1 / Student Focus

We prioritize students' interests, ensuring their academic and personal growth. By treating donors as partners, encouraging community service, and promoting diversity, we create a positive and inclusive environment.

2 / Community Engagement

Our commitment to community involvement and diversity is reflected in all our programs. We believe in honoring alma maters, teachers, and promoting a positive image of students from various backgrounds.

3 / Support and Respect

Respecting the diversity of students and their families is at the core of our values. We aim to provide unwavering support to students in their academic and personal endeavors.