Chris was adopted at 3 months old to metropolitan Detroit. As a child, he attended an annual adopted Koreans picnic coordinated by local participating families. As a university student, he founded an organization for adopted Koreans on campus. Chris puts a premium building community and providing a forum for open discussion. A member of KATCH since 2015, Chris also volunteers with Connect-A-Kid, a non-profit mentoring organization for transracial adoptees. Some interests include bicycling, running, trying new restaurants, analyzing music, attending live shows, road-tripping, studying maps, and meeting new people.

Nancy was adopted in 1970 when she was three years old. She grew up in Arizona just a few miles from the border. She went back to Korea for the first time in 2015 to reunite with her biological family. Nancy joined KATCH in 2018 to connect with other Korean Adoptees and has spent most of her free time in the last few years trying to learn as much as possible about Korean culture, language and history.

Mike was born in Daegu and adopted at 3 months old through Social Welfare Society (SWS). He grew up in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago and moved to Chicago for undergrad in January 2007. Mike discovered KATCH through a Facebook search one late night in 2019, and attended his first event, the annual Sun Wah dinner in Argyle, in February 2020. He currently resides in Chicago (Northside). In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, trying new beers, bouldering, working out, and doing anything car-related.

Jaye was adopted from Seoul, South Korea through Holt International at 18 months. She grew up in Iowa and began exploring her KAD identity while attending Luther College. Jaye joined KATCH in 2015 and joined the board in 2017. Throughout her life, Jaye has kept social and racial justice at the center of her professional and personal work. In her free time, Jaye enjoys running, bicycling, cooking, and the fine arts.

Born in Busan and raised in Madison, WI, Lindsey has called Chicago home since 2010. After connecting with two biological half-siblings in 2018, Lindsey sought out the Korean adoptee community and has been active with KATCH ever since. She joined the board in December 2021. In 2022, Lindsey went back to Korea on a homeland tour and met her biological parents and a half-brother. In her free time, Lindsey immerses herself in Korean food, Korean language learning, and K-dramas.

Soon-Young, adopted at 4 months old, spent most of her life in Minnesota prior to moving to Chicagoland in 2021. Soon-Young attended Korean Culture Camps in the Minneapolis area throughout her youth and at age 30, moved to Seoul for a total of 2 years, where she taught English and volunteered with GOA’L by facilitating dialogues on racial identity. She has been reunited with her birth father since 2005. She is married to another Korean adoptee and they have a son. Reading books by Korean or Asian American authors, watching a lot of Korean TV shows and dramas, hiking, biking, and playing around with friends are amidst her favorite ways to enjoy free time.

Parker, adopted at 6 months old from South Korea, spent most of his life in Nebraska prior to moving to Chicago in late 2022. As a child, he attended Holt Adoptee Summer Camp and quickly realized there were more Korean adoptees other than he and his sister. He went back to Korea for the first time, attended IKAA ’23, and can’t wait to return. In his free time, he enjoys biking, reading, and supporting the Korean Esports teams in his favorite online games.