Chris, a Logan Square resident, 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.

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.

Jen attended her first KATCH event in November 2015 and happily joined the board the following year. Chicago has been home to Jen and her spouse for the last 10 years, but Michigan will always be her first home. Over the summer of 2017, Jen returned to Korea and ate everything Korea had to offer. She has since returned and is still looking for the best bowl of soondobu jjigae.

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.

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 lived in Seoul for a total of 2 years, and during that time she taught English and volunteered with GOA’L by facilitating dialogues on racial identity. She was also very active with the Korean adoptee community in Minnesota and served on the AK Connection board for 5 years. She has watched over 120 Korean dramas or variety shows, met her birth father in 2005 (during her first trip back to Korea), and is busy raising her growing son. She loves a great coffee shop, spending time with friends, taking long walks/slow jogs on nature trails, exploring all the great places throughout Chicagoland, and enjoys Korean Indie music as well as traditional Korean music.