Elder K09, who came to the U.S. at the age of 19, titled his art response “나의 여정”, which translates to “My Journey”. “This is the journey of life. I immigrated from Korea and arrived in LA. After living there for about three months, I enlisted and received [military] training in Monterey, CA. I also received special training in Fort Sil, OK.” Elder K09 went on to describe being stationed in Tacoma, WA, and Korea before settling in Visalia and later Fresno. “Looking at this, I see that I haven’t lived in a lot of places even though I’ve been in the United States since 1974. At any rate, my immigration journey began here, and I have continued to live and evolve ever since.”

Elder K09 spoke about how his understanding of his parents changed after turning 50: “I feel like I didn’t fully [appreciate] my parents while we lived the immigrant life… My father passed away early, so I didn’t get to have a lot of meaningful conversation with him. That is my biggest regret. So I’m making an effort now to be close to my son while living this immigrant life.”