My life is a mosaic of everyone that I've loved before. From the lonely elder whom I have befriended for seven years or my neighbor – I am forever made and remade by them, finding even more people to love and care for as I live my daily life. One monumental moment that made me cherish the people around me and look after others more attentively was going to the US alone when I was seven years old. 

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I still remember crying over the Sunday breakfast table in Korea when I realized that I was disconnected from my family who were almost all native-English speakers except for myself. "영어 쓰지마" ("Don't use English"), I would plead in frustration.

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Even when I went to America to learn English, however, I felt disconnected from the barrier of language for the first few months. From this, I learned inevitably (1) how a welcoming hand can change your life and (2) how important languages are for communication between people. 

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To this day, that experience stays with me, a reminder that genuine connection often goes beyond words. I've learned that kindness, in any language, can bridge the gap between strangers and that a single act of warmth has the power to make someone feel they belong. As I continue to meet new people and learn new languages, I hope to extend that same welcoming hand to others, building bridges across any barriers that may come between us.