“I will look back on this experience when I need courage to do other projects. I did it once, I can do it again. '' Ohnshim Kim about her GPWLA Journey
Ohnshim Kim from the USA describes herself as an idealist and a lifelong student who dreams for a peaceful world. She joined GPWLA in 2018 after an invitation from Dr.Sanook Kang, GPW’s President to enhance her leadership skills and since she joined, we have seen her grow, lead and coordinate many programs and projects.
With a passion to create a better world, Ohnshim wants to work on girls' education, health equity, human rights and on religious and racial tolerance. She believes that the youth have the potential to lead the global community with a culture of love and peace and hence, her GPWLA project, “Discovering Your Purpose in College: Youth Contribution to the Global Community,” was born.
Through her project, Ohnshim wanted to enable students to stop and think about their purpose and take ownership on the issue they feel passionate about during their time as university students. Ohnshim shared about the Korean Unification Campaign, another speaker talked about the Pakistani education system. She saw interesting discussions on how students could participate and contribute to solve social issues. Ohnshim too discovered how much the Korean reunification means to her and how much wants the Korean Dream; a free, united, democratic Korea that is an example for world peace.
Ohnshim recalls that even though she faced difficulties in team building initially, she was later able to overcome them and that it made her realize that it took communication and coordination to enable each team member to bring their abilities, availability and merits to the table. GPWLA helped her to gain a deeper understanding of GPW's vision and why family is recognized as the cornerstone of peace. Besides this, Ohnshim also gained practical skills on project management.The organizational skills she developed in GPWLA has expanded in all areas of her life and she is now more confident and passionate than ever.
We want to recognize Ohnshim with the core value of teamwork: for her understanding and ability to recognize everyone’s merit and need to work together towards a shared vision. She has carried the same lessons of teamwork that she learned in GPWLA to her relationships in the family.
Ohnshim summarizes her GPWLA experience as a rich, impactful journey. It has strengthened her commitment to pursue her passion. She urges any woman who wants to make a positive impact to join the program.
“Through GPWLA, you know you are being trusted and you would be able to discover your values and also your abilities that you can use as a resource for the future.”