From Being Loved to Loving Others: My Journey with YANA

Yejin was raised at Dongmyung Children's Center until she moved to the United States at the age of 12. She met her new family in 2012 and began a new chapter of her life. Yejin is the very first beneficiary of the YANA Study Abroad Program. She started attending Case Western Reserve University in Fall 2020, majoring in nursing.

"Yejin, this is the home you can always come back to.”

These words from my American dad are forever engraved in my heart and have been my driving force in life. Through the YANA Study Abroad Program (YSAP) program, I learned the happiness of having a home and a family to go back to.

The warmth and outpouring love I received from the YANA family allowed me to dream of building my own happy family in the future, which I never thought was possible in the orphanage. Moreover, attending school in the States enabled me to dream of becoming a nurse to help others.

YANA has made me realize how valuable and blessed I am. Being a part of YANA for nearly 8 years, I realized that there are still so many broken children without families. I pray that these children can find healthy families and be full of happiness.

As YANA became my home, I hope to become a person who can be a family for these children and reciprocates the love I received.

Yejin Park

YANA Study Abroad Program for children raised in welfare homes