There is no Leadership without Mentorship

On January 30, 2020, I was honored to receive the Han C. Choi Mentor Award from the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association at the Annual Lunar New Year Banquet and Board Installation. The honor of receiving? this Award from my peers is one of the highlights of my career. I was so proud to have my parents, my husband Frank McDonald, my brother Brutus Youn, and my dearest #GAPABAFamily present as I shared my thoughts on receiving this award.

Most poignantly, however, was the chance to also recognize and address Han’s family—Catherine Abrams and David Choi. I share my speech in its entirety for those who wish to read it.

Thank you everyone. Words cannot express how much this award means to me. My dear friend Han Choi was a shining star whose light was extinguished too soon. But like a supernova, which sends out an incredible blast of power and energy even as it is extinguished, its light and memory can be seen for years beyond its passing. So I would like to acknowledge Han’s family. Both Catherine and David are with us tonight. Would you please stand.

I would also be remiss if I wasn’t a good Asian daughter and didn’t acknowledge my parents. My father, Dr. Hwa Jin Youn, was actually born the year of the rat. My mother, Homoon Chung, was born in the year of the tiger—and she was the one who caught him.

I have some thoughts about the year of the Rat. In Western culture there are many negative connotations about this animal. But I would challenge you to rethink those qualities.

What do we think of when we hear the word rat? Carrying diseases and pestilence—coronavirus anyone? But through a different lens, that means a rat is immune! Resilient! And how many millions of lab rats have been sacrificed to discover miraculous cures?

What else comes to mind? Rats steal food and abandon sinking ships. But what does that really mean? It means they provide for their family, and they are survivors. They are Persistent, Tenacious. Just like my father who survived the Korean war holocaust by crossing the frozen Han River four times with his family, even as others lay dying and drowning around him.

But what is the number one thing we think about most? “I smell a rat.” Snitches!

I propose we think a different word: Whistleblower.

In a room full of lawyers, and especially in this day and age, a whistleblower is a person who brings justice. Uncovering evil. Someone who has the courage to stand up to bullies and shines a light upon the darkness.

These qualities are two sides of the same coin. Which brings me to the juxtaposition of leadership and mentorship.

Tonight we saw the installation of our GAPABA leadership. These are our best and brightest, committed to helping our Bar Association reach the next level. But leadership is not born in a vacuum. It is cultivated. Nurtured. You can have raw talent, but without mentorship and training, it is not refined, sharpened, and honed. One cannot become a great leader without being mentored, and one cannot be a great leader unless you mentor others. There is no leadership without mentorship.

That was the greatness of Han. Even as he achieved his incredible accomplishments, becoming the first Asian American managing partner of a top law firm in Atlanta, Ballard Spahr, he always took time to mentor young lawyers and students.

I invoke Han’s spirit daily in my profession as a legal recruiter, and as a GAPABA volunteer, and it is my true pleasure to give back and provide guiding advice to others in their careers.

I turned fifty a few weeks ago. It is a milestone birthday which I am still trying to absorb and reflect upon. I had the chance to return to the Philippines earlier this year, the place where I was born. We celebrated my high school’s centennial and I reconnected not just with classmates, but also my teachers.

Remarkably, I got to see my nursery school teacher, Mrs. Cielito Narvasa, who is in her 90s. Mrs. Narvasa not only remembered me, she told me some apocryphal stories from my youth. Apparently in the playground, I was the anti-bullying enforcer. I would go around making sure everybody shared equally. I monitored the slide so that no one would hog it by loitering at the base—because there were kids waiting at the top and you have to go around to the back right away! Even though I don’t remember this, these things absolutely ring true because I find myself doing similar things even today. Fighting for equality, standing up for those who need it. That was the influence of my first teacher, my first mentor.

This is why for my 50th birthday I requested donations to the GAPABA Law Foundation, which gives grants to nonprofit organizations that assist Asian American communities here in Georgia. They help immigrants with citizenship and language services, and aid victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence. Between my friends and family, we have already raised over $3000. I challenge you to match the same and make donations on the website, https://gapaba.org/Foundation.

In Han’s name, Catherine and his family also established the Han C. Choi Scholarship through the NAPABA Law Foundation. The scholarship is awarded to law students who embody grit and determination in the face of incredible obstacles. I would encourage all law students to apply for Han’s scholarship HERE.

One of the recipients of the Han Choi scholarship is here tonight, and she is also a Yoon. Soojin Yoon, please stand up.

Soojin actually had written an email to me at the start of the New Year. Forgive me as I embarrass you and read an excerpt:

It's been a great 2019 thanks to you. I could interact with many people in the Atlanta legal community, and overcome my concern about social awkwardness as a new immigrant. By meeting new people, I could learn a lot on every occasion and build a meaningful relationship with people. All this wouldn't have been possible without you. I truly appreciate it.

In addition to Soojin, I count in this room many law students and young attorneys who I have counseled to find their current, and hopefully next jobs. You know who you are.

But perhaps the most rewarding to me to date, the most tangible way I have the opportunity to give back to Han, is that I met up with his oldest son Christopher Choi this past Sunday to review his resume and provide some career advice. For that opportunity, I have to thank my boss and friend, Raj Nichani, who chatted with Catherine at my birthday celebration, and she asked if we could meet with Christopher.

Christopher is now a sophomore at Auburn University, and he’s looking for his first real summer job. No, not in the legal field, but in business analytics. He is a remarkable young man, currently competing as his team’s CEO in a business entrepreneur pitch competition at the University. If y’all know of a tech startup summer job for him, or something in big data, I’ll chat with you later ??.

Catherine, please know that the GAPABA family is always here for you, Christopher, David, and Hannah. We are here to ensure that Han’s legacy will last forever.

To every single one of us in this room, we ALL have the ability to channel Han Choi and be a mentor to others.

Thank you.