yKAN in January

January 2008

Message from the President
February General Meeting
January General Meeting Recap
Community Service Committee Report
Membership Report
Announcements
E-Board Minutes
yKANer's Classifieds
2008 Executive Board

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
by Brian Lee

Dear yKAN,

Welcome 2008 members and friends! I am honored to have been chosen as the 16th President of yKAN, and I look forward to doing my best to fill the large shoes of those before me.

As we approach the Lunar New Year, I look back on my time in yKAN with both fondness and surprise. I smile at the rush of excitement I had meeting and making friends with fellow Korean American professionals when I first moved to the city. I smile recollecting how little I really knew about cultural and social issues as I attended guest speaker presentations featuring community leaders. I smile remembering the moment I grasped the concept that making a small difference matters, when it comes to community service. With astonishment, I reflect on how far yKAN has come and how much we've all learned along the way. Just like how it takes a village to raise a child, I've seen how we've all come together and contributed to create a similar village to develop a successful Korean-American citizen. And mind you, this village is not only about physical interaction, but being Korean and tech-savvy in the ways of Xanga, Igoo, and the latest chapter in Facebook. This village also encompasses the yKAN Facebook village.

Community Service. Professional networking. Social networking. Cultural awareness. To me, the beauty of yKAN has always been that there's something for everyone.

This year, we plan to build on the past, and continue to explore new territory. So far, we have already held one of our largest happy hours ever, held for the first time at ME Bar. Our Valentine's Day Soiree, this Friday February 8, is our most ambitious project ever, aiming to be the largest event in yKAN history. Likewise, we will continue to explore new types of events, venues, and formats to best address the needs and interests of our growing membership.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of our members and friends, and most importantly the dedication of the yKAN Executive Board.

Without further ado, here is your 2008 Executive Board:

With a blank slate in 2008 in front of us, I am thrilled to be drawing upon such a strong and energetic team.

Whether it's joining a committee, lending a hand, or just attending an event, we hope you can join us in writing the next chapter.

We look forward to meeting and catching up with many of you this Friday!

Sincerely,
Brian Lee
16th yKAN President
brian@ykan.org

GENERAL MEETING

Join the young Korean American Network (yKAN) for our annual Valentine's Day fundraiser.

Please RSVP to social@ykan.org by Thursday, February 7, if you plan to attend.

We look forward to seeing you there!

JANUARY GENERAL MEETING RECAP
by Jisung Chun

On Wednesday, January 23, 2008, yKAN held its first event of 2008 at Me’ Bar. Large number of over 80 people showed up at a cozy rooftop lounge for social networking over drinks. Thanks to Rachel Kim’s and the social committee’s zealous promotion, many new faces appeared amongst the familiar faces.

Thank you to all the people who came out to the event!

Sincerely,
Jisung Chun
Membership Chair (Designee)

COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMITTEE REPORT
by John Kim

The Lunar New Year will be February 8, 2008. yKAN is currently working with our members and Community Service Committee to plan and prepare for our annual visit to the Anna Erika Adult Home in Staten Island.

Anna Erika is an assisted living nursing home for the elderly. As the home is state-subsidized, residents are not normally provided with native food of each individual resident. It has been a tradition of yKAN and its Community Service Committee to make annual visits to Anna Erila to visit the 30+ Korean/Asian residents and provide free Korean meals. As well, as some have been distanced from their families, we comfort residents and wish them well for the start of the New Lunar Year.

We look forward to seeing our members come out and continue to support the community!

Sincerely,
Jane Kweon & Domina Park
Community Service Chair
community@ykan.org

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Korean American experience is unique, dynamic and relevant - it is not a mere subset of the Korean or Asian American experience. Recently, many Korean Americans have sought to express our point of view through the language of film. Currently, there are few avenues dedicated to recognizing and initiating dialogue around this work. Thus, we have to open our own doors, our own opportunities, our own markets. We, the organizers are also filmmakers. KAFFNY is a vehicle for us to explore this new frontier together. -KAFFNY

The Program includes:

For more information, please visit www.kaffny.com.

"Jessica" directed by Brian Lee (President of yKAN 2008)

Romance, DV
8 min

Jessica Kim seems to have it all: looks, money, and her very own NYC apartment. Meeting the man of her dreams would be the icing on the cake. So when a secret admirer she has been exchanging letters with for a year finally wants to meet, she is convinced that this is true love. Or is it?

Brian Lee (Writer/Director)
Brian first discovered the writing and directing bug during the summer of 2006. "Jessica" is his directorial debut. A Korean-Canadian expatriate in NYC, Brian serves as President of the Young Korean American Network.

Mina Moon (Writer/Actress)
Mina's acting credits include several student theater productions as well as freelance background work for television. She has directed several student plays and currently continues to write on and off-screen material.

Jayne Jun (Producer)
Jayne is a graduate of USC Annenberg School for Communication and works on NATURE, a PBS documentary series.

David J. Lee (Director of Photography)
David also served as Production Manager of "Jessica" leveraging his affinity for Korean films and MBA from Fordham University.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT
by John Kim

yKAN has been constantly growing in membership with over 1200+ people receiving yKAN announcements and newsletters. To further reach out to the young Korean American Professional Community of New York, yKAN has created its own group in the popular networking website Facebook.

If you have a Facebook account, you can add yKAN.org as your friend at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=618345005&ref=nf or you can join our Facebook Group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4211466963.

Thanks,
Membership Committee
membership@ykan.org

YKANER'S CLASSIFIEDS

SEEKING ENGLISH, MATH AND/OR SAT TEACHERS

Tappan Education Center is seeking high school level English, Math and/or SAT teachers. The position is for after-school hours 4pm to 6 pm or 6pm to 8pm, depending on schedules. The Center is located in Old Tappan, NJ and the teacher must have own transportation. Compensation is based on experience but no experience is required. The only requirement is that the person must enjoy teaching and want to make a difference in the lives of students. Interested individuals can contact Sy Kim by email at sykim64@optonline.net.

If you want to post announcements on yKANSpirit Newsletter, please email john@ykan.org