"Judging for the essay competition was a positive and rewarding experience. As a member of the first or immigrant generation, not quite belonging either to the old we had renounced or to the new we had adopted, I have lived with a vague sense of guilt for having condemned my posterity to the same kind of limbo, to second-class citizenship. But these young people, second or third generation, have no such complexes, no hang-ups. Far from being ashamed of or disadvantaged by their heritage, neither in perception nor in actuality, they have grabbed life by the horns and forge ahead triumphantly, proudly. Our exodus from Korea so many years ago was not a craven flight or an easy way out but a gutsy, admirable act, a pioneering, empire-building adventure and outreach. Moreover, in this global high tech age of instantaneous communication and transportation, national and geographic boundaries are merely accidents to our individuality, decorative, not structural. What endures is family, affection for one's friends and relatives, whose strength in turn underpins and inspires compassion and love for one's community, country, and world.

My only regret is that we could not give prizes and honorable mentions to every contestant. They were all good, had a point to make, often a powerful and moving message to impart, and should feel proud of their accomplishments and not feel discouraged by the omission in any way. While joining us in congratulating the winners and wishing them god speed, I want the rest of the contestants to adopt a tolerant, even superior attitude: some kind of ranking had to be established and the standards or determinants were, like everything else in life, personal, quirky, even arbitrary. Keep up the good work, everybody! "

~ Ty Pak