by Hyun Kyoung K.
If I ask my friends, “Who’s your favorite hero?”, they may think this question is too childish. Most people may think that heroes exist in their childhood only to show better direction and to make their dreams come true.
When I was a kid, my favorite hero was Jackie Chan who is a Martial Arts movie star in Hong Kong. I loved him, because he became a world star despite having a poor family environment and many difficulties as an Asian. He overcame those barriers and exposed the world to Asian cultures through his movies. I admired his passion for dreams. He wanted to be a pioneer in Hollywood as an Asian actor and a role model. In his movies, he always fought for justice, showed respect to all people, and presented a strong and positive image. My hero gave me a lot of good influence to achieve my goals like learning Mandarin, making films, and being a positive person.
However, after I grew up, I started to lose my direction and passion for life. I found out what real life looks like and I needed to face that. This made me a more passive person and allowed me to maintain what I have so far. I felt it was risky to face new challenges and didn’t want to waste my energy moving forward again.
Recently, I read the biography of John Adams who was the 6th President of the United States and it made me think about my new hero in middle age. He was defeated in his 2nd election by his best friend, Andrew Jackson. At that time, he was very disappointed with himself but he didn’t give up his dream of working for the American people. Therefore, he became a congressman when he was 63 years old and he worked against slavery. His efforts were made to end slavery and won praise from many Americans. Before I read his biography, I felt miserable about my life and I didn’t know what I needed to do for the rest of my life. John Adams taught me that life is a long learning journey and I still have enough time to contribute to my community and to the world.
Currently, I am the principal of Walnut Creek Korean School and the organizer for the International Fair at Walnut Acres Elementary School. Those jobs are mostly volunteer positions, and I enjoy devoting myself to the students and building our community. My hero motivated me to be a better person with more purpose in life.