Maida Brkanovic Memorial Scholarship

I was fortunate enough to have embraced my cultural heritage from a young age as a Korean American with immigrant parents, attending Korean school and acquiring fluency in the language by speaking Korean at home. The Korean School of Southern New Jersey (KSSNJ) allowed me to interact with fellow Korean American peers and teachers, and I learned about the importance of speaking out against injustice and showing compassion, drawing inspiration from Korean politician and independence activist Kim Gu. Kim Gu was an integral leader in the Korean independence movement against Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, participating in the revolutionary March 1st movement and founding the Korean Liberation Army, which engaged in guerrilla warfare against Japanese forces. Kim Gu endured constant surveillance, harassment, and numerous assassination attempts by Japanese colonial authorities, who perceived him as a threat to their dominion over Korea. Learning about this important period in Korean history deeply moved me, inspiring me to embrace the values and principles of Kim Gu as a first-generation Korean American. My role as a traditional percussion leader and performer has highlighted my desire to open the eyes of audiences of all races and backgrounds to our cultural heritage through the power of music. Our percussion team has been honored to participate in numerous events and competitions, one of which was the 2021 Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Festival, showcasing the rich cultural diversity of the Asian American community. Through our performances, we fostered understanding, appreciation, and unity among different cultures, promoting the values of inclusivity and respect. I founded “Patch heART Works” during the global pandemic last year as a way to channel my passion for art to provide a source of joy, peace, and healing to those who may lack the support they need. Although we started small, with my sister and I instructing monthly art classes for senior citizens and hanging up wall decorations at the Laurel Brook Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, we quickly gained new members who shared our vision. We had the honor of decorating the Cherry Hill Township Mayor Angulo's office and hosted multiple arts and crafts activities at the Cherry Hill public library for children and teens. These activities were designed to inspire creativity, reduce stress, and promote social connection among the participants. Our activities have consistently been met with positive feedback from participants. Many of the senior citizens we worked with appreciated the opportunity to make crafts and enjoy the wall decorations, and we received admiration and praise from parents who brought their kids to the library, even asking if we would be willing to host arts and crafts activities at youth group events and birthday parties. I am grateful for the opportunity and privilege to give back to my community through my love for art because it’s “just what a human being should do”. I am also an instrumental performer for the Edelweiss Ensemble, a student-run music community service organization. I had the privilege of bringing joy and comfort to the elderly residents through my music. Through these concerts, I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact that music can have on the emotional well-being of people. Being part of the Edelweiss Ensemble has allowed me to combine my passion for music with my desire to make a difference in the lives of others, fostering a sense of community and connection that is truly invaluable. I also tutored teens in science, reading, and math, which demonstrates my unwavering dedication to their educational growth and success. I also invested time and effort into preparing engaging lessons and tailored learning materials, ensuring that their specific needs were met. Moreover, compassion and kindness have been at the core of my interactions with these young students. Understanding the challenges they face in their academic journey, I approached our sessions with empathy and patience. I have strived to act as an approachable mentor and role model by creating a safe and supportive environment where they felt comfortable asking questions, expressing their difficulties, and seeking guidance. By showing genuine care and understanding, I aimed to nurture their self-confidence and motivate them to overcome obstacles. By actively engaging in these activities, I have worked to embody Kim Gu’s moral and ethical principles in my community. Through my dedication to speaking out against injustice as a first-generation student, I have found the importance of cultural preservation through traditional percussion performance and promoting compassion through Patch heART Works, the Edelweiss Ensemble, and P2P. I strive to contribute to a more inclusive and understanding society in my community.

From the first breath I took, I have experienced violence. I was born on March 22, 2003, and the U.S. invasion of Iraq started on March 20th. There had been a bombing or explosion of some sort in the hospital that I was born in. I don’t remember this, but I have carried a long-term effect of it to this day. I lost some hearing in my right ear. I can hear with my right ear, but I do realize the difference. My right ear feels blocked compared to my left ear. This challenge resulted in me having to sit in front of every class in middle school. I didn’t mind this because I knew it was for the better, it made it easier for me to learn. Another way that I overcame this challenge was by being provided a hearing aid. In 2007, there was a suicide bomb that had detonated by our elementary school. The terrorist group targeted a Christian school, and it led to many deaths and injuries. I wasn’t old enough to go to school at that age, since I was only four years old. However, I remember it, vividly. I remember the fear in my parents' eyes and the rush to school. We went there in hopes of finding my brother, who was only a year older than me. I remember seeing the sight of debris from the classrooms. I remember hearing yelling for their children and children screaming in pain. Even though my family and I left Iraq in 2011, four years after the bombing, this was still one of the driving forces on why my parents decided to leave Iraq. That decision changed my life because of where I am today. This challenge made me who I am today because it showed me how to be grateful. These types of things happen every day to countless people, and I am grateful I made it out. Having come from a foreign country, making it harder for me to do well in school. In the 5th grade, when students were reading “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” I was learning grammar and punctuation. While students had elective classes like art and music in middle school, I had ELD. A program for English learners that we had to test out of. While my friends were taking college prep classes, I challenged myself and took Honors and AP classes. In the end, I still read “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” I still made it out of ELD and joined ASB, and became the Treasurer. I have had to work harder than a lot of my peers to get on the same level as them. I remember back in second grade, in Iraq, we were learning a new language. We were learning Assyrian Aramaic, a different dialect of Aramaic than the one I speak. This language was difficult for me to learn due to being raised to learn a different language and going to school to learn another language. I was struggling, the teacher made me get up and read in front of the class. I failed, and he slapped me across the face. It wasn’t a little slap on the hand, like when you do to a kid to stop them from touching something they are not supposed to be touching like something hot or electricity. This slap was loud. It made the kids in my class quiet. I remember sitting back down and my cheek stinging. That type of learning is different from the learning I have had in this country. I am grateful for this country because of how many opportunities it has given me, opportunities that I did not have back home. I have received a great education so far, and I want to further my education through college. I want to be the first person in my family with a degree.