Tara Footner Founder Tara, aka Om Sun Hui (OSH), is a Korean adoptee (KAD). Read More Kath Pacao Administrative Specialist Kath was born in Manila and currently lives in Tokyo. Read More Cynthia Landesburg Contributor Cynthia is a Korean adoptee (KAD). Read More Heath Hyun Houghton Contributor Heath is a Korean adoptee (KAD). Read More Lauren Burke Contributor Lauren is a Korean adoptee (KAD). Read More Samantha Der Contributor Samantha is a #hyphenatedAsian. Read More Ella Wu Managing Editor Ella is a Chinese adoptee. Read More A.D. Herzel Contributor A.D. is a Korean adoptee (KAD). Read More Erika Fisher Contributor Erika is a Korean adoptee (KAD). Read More Heather Lewis Contributor Heather is a Korean adoptee (KAD). Read More Lauren Kofalt Contributor Lauren is a Chinese adoptee. Read More Stephanie Fung Contributor Stephanie is a #hyphenatedAsian. Read More Jon Oaks Web Specialist Jon is a Korean adoptee (KAD). Read More Ana Suli Clancey Contributor Ana is a Chinese adoptee. Read More Haiku Kwon Contributor Laura is a Korean adoptee (KAD). Read More Kara Bos Contributor Kara is a Korean adoptee (KAD). Read More Lilly Schmaltz Contributor Lilly is a Chinese adoptee. Read More

Heath is a Korean adoptee (KAD). < Back Heath Hyun Houghton Contributor A Korean American adoptee who grew up in rural Michigan and is currently based in Portland, OR. Heath Hyun Houghton is an actor, writer, and director. He holds an MFA in creative writing with a focus in playwriting from Goddard College and a B.A. in theatre with a focus in performance from Humboldt State University. He also studied Korean dance and performance styles in Jinju, South Korea, with USD Modern Dance. Poems and essays have been published in Spring Time Magazine and The Pitkin Review. Heath’s work has appeared online in Pif Magazine, MiGoZine, and Korea4Expats. He has also contributed lyrics to albums released by Ultraviolet Hippopotamus (“One Eye Shut,” Stop Watch Time Drop ) and The Turnips (“Move Your Ass,” Background Music ). His plays have been seen as staged readings in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, and in the U.S. in California, Michigan, and Oregon. He is currently an Ensemble Member with Theatre Vertigo and Linestorm Playwrights. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and USA Gymnastics.

Kara is a Korean adoptee (KAD). < Back Kara Bos Contributor Kara Bos (Kang Misuk) is an #importedAsian from Korea to America, and is now a Dutchie—living in Amsterdam with her Dutch husband and two amazing children. Kara is an adventure-seeker discovering the world one country at a time (more than 50 so far!), an entrepreneur running a drowning prevention program Swim4Survival , and through her journey has become a resilient spokesperson for adoptees’ rights. She is determined to change the rhetoric of the more than 200,000 Korean adoptees searching for their identities and past; while also hoping to change the narrative of the definition of what adoption means to the average individual. Furthermore, she is a woman, wife, and mom, trying to do her best at all three of those while not sacrificing any of them.

Lauren is a Chinese adoptee. < Back Lauren Kofalt Contributor Lauren Kofalt is an #importedAsian . She was adopted from China at age one and is currently in the United States. Lauren has taken back her birth name of Zhu Ling Jin as of the past few months, and has been writing poetry since she was little and has always had a passion for it. She is currently attending Penn State University and is happy to share her poetry with our Universal Asian community!

Heather is a Korean adoptee (KAD). < Back Heather Lewis Contributor Heather Lewis, or 노 영 미 as her biological sisters have named her, was born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in the U.S. at six months old. Heather has had many professions: waitress, ballroom dance instructor, middle school English teacher, and her current role in operations. She has a master’s in English, a master’s in Critical Studies of Teaching English, and a master’s in business administration. She is a proud KAD (Korean ADoptee) and likes to explore identity through writing. She loves being married to “fake Dave Grohl” and raising her only daughter. Despite still not knowing her birthday, she’s sure she is a Capricorn. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lewie73

Personal essays are some of the most compelling pieces in existence. They share our deepest thoughts, feelings, and dreams. Essay Musings of a Middle-aged Matriarch: Finding my tribe There’s a sea of different people in this world. While everyone is unique and different, there are enough commonalities between us all to... Essay Heather Lewis What It Means To Be Asian in America: Recognizing and breaking the cycle of trauma The rise in hate crimes against the AAPI community has left many of us questioning not just our identity as Asian-Americans, but how we... Essay Vanessa Nguyen Artificial Habitat Growing up, I lived in one of those unremarkable suburban neighborhoods everyone has seen and no one remembers. Two-story houses.... Essay Cynthia Landesberg Musings of a Middle-aged Matriarch: How do you find joy? As adoptees, many of us have had to create our own joy. We have to work at joy because it doesn’t come naturally to us. We are too busy... Essay Heather Lewis Choosing Parenthood “I think, maybe, we should talk about starting a family,” my husband said one day, as we sat on the back porch of a winery north of our... Lifestyle Cynthia Landesberg Musings of a Middle-aged Matriarch: Looking exotic sitting at Cracker Barrel I was adopted into a small farming community with one blinking stop light. For all my life, I was surrounded by people who did not look... Essay Heather Lewis 1 2 3 4 5

Lauren is a Korean adoptee (KAD). < Back Lauren Burke Contributor Lauren (정미나) is an #importedAsian from Korea to the U.S. Her professional background is in financial analysis and management, but when the world paused in 2020, she was able to pick up her passion for writing again. She enjoys the practice of free-writing, in addition to writing song lyrics, and now, as a contributor for The Universal Asian . You can find Lauren engaged most often with the adoptee community, opening up about life as a Korean adoptee in the U.S., and what it’s like experiencing a birth family search process. She is also a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certified instructor and hopes to use that knowledge by returning to Korea someday, even if only for a chapter of her life. Lauren loves to connect and communicate with people, and hopes to use writing as a means to help others share their story. You can find her talking about adoption, BTS, and Korean food by following her on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjungmeena FB: https://www.facebook.com/itsjungmeena

This page is full of all things life, love, and laughter. Lifestyle Introducing Angela Wu Angela Wu is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Empowerment Coach who is passionate about de-stigmatizing mental health in the... Lifestyle OSH Choosing Parenthood “I think, maybe, we should talk about starting a family,” my husband said one day, as we sat on the back porch of a winery north of our... Lifestyle Cynthia Landesberg A #hyphenatedAsians POV: Christine Ha Christine Ha is a powerhouse of creativity and resilience. She was the first-ever blind contestant and winner of Gordon Ramsey’s amateur... Lifestyle Haiku Kwon Food: Truly colorblind glue As I walked the streets in the Asian part of Rome near Termini Station, the Asian stores were mostly empty, perhaps as a result of COVID... Lifestyle OSH My Thoughts on Adoption: From an Asian American woman without children I had always dreamed of having children. I grew up in a big family with lots of siblings, relatives, and cousins. There were so many... Lifestyle Samantha Der Finding True Belonging with Sun Mee Personal Story Transitioning lives I was 3½ years old when I was adopted from Korea by my German parents, and was raised in a... Adoptees Sun Mee Martin 1 2 3 4

Samantha is a #hyphenatedAsian. < Back Samantha Der Contributor Samantha Der is a multigenerational #hyphenatedAsian . Her passions include lifelong learning; the humanities and creative arts; supporting socially conscious enterprises; and strengthening communities through family care advocacy. She graduated with a B.A. from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. She loves writing both fiction and nonfiction. Follow her on IG @samantha_der_writer

It's been a long road for Asians in the entertainment industry. This page is here for celebration of the milestones we hit, and critical analysis of the things that fall short of the mark. Entertainment Kira Omans Talks About 'Him': Challenging the Reality You Know “Him” (2024) is now streaming on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime. Tomorrow marks the close of another AAPI Heritage Month, and the... Entertainment Ella Wu Angeli E. Dumatol Paints Youth in Soft Shades There’s a quiet brilliance to “ A Sky of a Thousand Colors .” What might seem at first like a straightforward mystery — a missing person,... Entertainment Ella Wu Rueben Dass Reveals How He Makes a Murderer “Late one night, I was walking home from the train station…” author Rueben Dass begins, sounding eerily like the opening scene of a... Entertainment Ella Wu Lies, Spies, and a Guy Who Tries Kam Raslan's “ Malayan Spy ” is the kind of novel that sneaks up on you. It spins espionage, history, and unadulterated humanity into a... Entertainment Ella Wu ‘The Wedding Banquet’ Turns the Page on Queer Relationships "The Wedding Banquet" (2025) is now in theaters. Photo: Courtesy of Bleecker Street and ShivHans Pictures In 1993, Ang Lee’s “The Wedding... Entertainment Ella Wu Malcom Seah Plunges Into the Depths of Grief in ‘Swimming Lessons’ Malcom Seah’s “Swimming Lessons” takes a deeply emotional dive into grief and the complexities of family dynamics. In his debut novel,... Entertainment Ella Wu 1 2 3 4 5

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The Universal Asian is an open and safe online platform that spotlights voices of the Asian diaspora. Our Mission The Universal Asian is an open and safe online database platform in a magazine-style to provide inspiration to Asian adoptees (#importedAsians) and immigrated Asians (#hyphenatedAsians) around the world. We strive to mainstream discussions on topics related to pop culture, politics, lifes tyle, and more importantly help make our community of Asian voices universally heard . Our Val ues Anti-discrimination and abuse The Universal Asian will not tolerate racism, discrimination, violence, or abuse of any kind. We embrace diversity and are committed to ensuring a space, culture, and platform that is free from discrimination or abuse in any form. If there are any instances of racist, discriminatory, or abusive language used in deal ing with The Universal Asian or any of our collaborators, then we shall block the account immediately and call it out publicly on our platform. Honesty The Universal Asian is committed to being honest about our diverse experiences without sugar-coating or diluting the voices of our contributors and collaborators for what is shared is our TRUTH. Integrity Trust is essential to any organization. We build that trust through the actions and judgment of all The Universal Asian team — in our social media platforms, in our workplace and in what we post on the site. Respect The Universal Asian aims to build and serve a global audience that is vast and diverse representing the Asian diaspora. To do that fully and fairly, we treat our community — our readers, contributors, collaborators, and our team with the utmost empathy and respect. Collaboration The Universal Asian does not place itself in competition with others raising voices or sharing stories, but rather gives respect to and raises up the creativity and expertise from every part of the diaspora to fulfill our mission. It is our greatest aim to work together and support each other to provide a sense of community and inspiration to those who engage with us.

Laura is a Korean adoptee (KAD). < Back Haiku Kwon Contributor Haiku Kwon, aka Laura Kruis, is a Korean American #importedAsian , writer, and wanderluster, who loves dogs, weightlifting, food, and connecting with others. Through her contributions to The Universal Asian , she hopes to demonstrate the importance of storytelling and sharing one’s personal truth to build community. Haiku has held many varied roles throughout her life and travels as much as possible, which has taught her that “home” isn’t always a place. Sometimes, it’s a moment. Blog: https://haiku-kwon.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haiku_kwon/

A.D. is a Korean adoptee (KAD). < Back A.D. Herzel Contributor A.D. Herzel is an #importedAsian from Korea. She is a Visual Artist, writer, and educator. A.D. has exhibited work nationally for the past 20 years. She trained as a painter and printmaker at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and went on to receive her Master of Eduaction (M.Ed.) in art education at the Tyler School of Art in 2000. Her digital work has been published in the Manifest International Drawing Annual , INDA 8, and she has won several awards of recognition for her drawings. In addition to exhibiting work in numerous juried shows, she has been recognized by curators from the Amon Carter Museum of American Art , The Kimbell Museum of Fine Arts in Texas, and The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. She has been represented by galleries in Fort Worth, TX, Nashville, TN and Philadelphia, PA. A.D. Herzel is an Asian-American artist and writer who has shared her work nationally and internationally. You may learn more about her and her work by following her on social media and visiting her website. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pseudopompou FB: https://www.facebook.com/PseudoPompous Website: https://www.pseudopompous.com Medium: https://medium.com/@pseudopompous Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/adherzel