KAGC Student Spotlight: Jenna Pae, Georgetown University
“Interning on the Hill allowed me to learn about the mechanisms that can significantly improve the lives of people across the country. It was particularly inspiring to see that there were Korean staffers on the Hill working for those improvements, informed by their own experiences.”
One of the most impactful moments that I experienced this summer was when I attended an AAPI Congressional reception. It was amazing to see that there were many Asian Americans working on the Hill and in its adjacent sectors. But what struck me the most was when I realized that before this summer, I had never met a second-generation Asian American born in my mother’s generation. For the first time, I spoke to Asian Americans in their thirties, forties, and fifties who had been born and raised in the United States. Reflecting on this revelation, I can summarize my summer fellowship with the Korean American Grassroots Conference (KAGC) as learning about how the Korean American community fits within the fabric of American policymaking.
I immigrated to the United States with my mother when I was three years old and was raised in small college towns in Missouri and Indiana. The Korean American communities there were incredibly small and tight knit. I attended Korean immigrant churches, and apart from school, the church community became my entire world. It often felt like I was living a double life — on weekdays, I was a Midwestern girl entrenched in symbols of Americana, and on weekends, I only spoke Korean and only interacted with other immigrants. Those identities were carefully separated from each other, and the division was even more emphasized within my church community. Many of the sermons focused on the hardships that came with being a foreigner to this country, with only each other to rely on. Many conversations among church members were about the struggle to survive in white communities, how much we missed our homeland and the comfort of being surrounded by our culture. My family shared in that struggle too. We traveled back to Korea every summer, and I experienced culture shock upon returning to the States, every time without fail.
This unique upbringing brought me so many gifts — fluency in Korean, a deep connection to my heritage, and the knowledge that a life would be waiting for me in Korea. But with such a divided upbringing also came a lack of belonging in America. I never viewed myself as Korean American because no one around me did either. I didn’t have anyone around me to assure me that cultural identities could intersect — that in New York, Los Angeles, or New Jersey, there were Koreans my grandparents’ age who had worked hard to build thriving Korean American communities. Perhaps most unfortunately, my upbringing led me to believe that there was no one in America looking out for my community — especially not in the legislative sense. Thus, I did not believe that public service could ever be for me.
My time on Capitol Hill and with KAGC was certainly eye opening. Working in Senator Menendez’s office was particularly impactful. Never having been to New Jersey before, I had originally wanted to intern for the office because of the Senator’s deep commitment to immigration reform and foreign policy — both areas that I am passionate about. However, once I began my internship, I realized just how many Korean Americans called New Jersey home and how they wanted much more comprehensive policymaking. Specific legislation they advocated for included increased language access and protection from discrimination and hate crimes. Interning on the Hill allowed me to learn about the mechanisms that can significantly improve the lives of people across the country. It was particularly inspiring to see that there were Korean staffers on the Hill working for those improvements, informed by their own experiences.
Additionally, my summer internship at KAGC opened my eyes to the work that Korean Americans are doing outside of Congress to ensure that Korean communities nationwide can feel at home. The office’s preparation for educating Korean Americans on the upcoming presidential election and advocating for Korean American legislative issues was inspiring to witness.
KAGC also allowed me to get to know a cohort of brilliant peer fellows who all hope to improve policymaking for Korean Americans and AAPIs in their own ways. Throughout the summer, we toured the Library of Congress, the Old Korean Legation, and saw the Korean War Memorial — all evidence of how deeply rooted our community is to the fabric of the US itself. That was by far the most important takeaway from this summer for me.
Though I’m not sure where the next couple of years will take me yet, the fellowship with KAGC allowed me experiences that have broadened my perspective regarding what I can accomplish in the US, and how I can help uplift my community through public service.
Jenna Pae is a 2023 KAGC Congressional Fellow who worked as the Legislative Intern in the Office of Senator Bob Menendez (NJ), where she was able to focus on researching immigration issues. She also completed a 2023 summer internship with KAGC, where she contributed to the drafting of KAGC’S Korean American Policy Priorities report and assisted with covering the 2024 Presidential Election. Jenna is a rising Senior and Laidlaw Scholar at Georgetown University.
Click here to learn more about KAGC, the largest nationwide network of Korean American voters for opportunities to share the Korean American identity, discuss the key issues of our community, and get our voices heard, counted, and reflected in public policy.
