Interviewee: Ashley Kwon
Interviewer: Landon Myer
Interview Synopsis:
Ashley Kwon is a twenty-two-year-old Korean-American woman from Belle Mead, New Jersey. Throughout the course of the interview, Ashley describes her and her family’s experiences as Koreans in the Peninsula and in the United States. She explained her parents’ immigration to the US, the trajectory of her own childhood, her family’s understanding of Korean regional culture and identity, and their experiences finding Korean community in the US, especially through the Church. This interview covers topics such as regional diversity in South Korea, the role of religion in immigrant communities, and sources of connection to and disconnection from one’s ethnic heritage.
I have known Ashley for several years, since meeting during our sophomore year at Colby through our work as community advisors. This interview took place in person, in the Alfond Commons in Waterville, Maine, where we live as roommates.
I, Landon Myer, a senior history and Spanish major at Colby College, conducted this interview in the interest of getting to know Ashley more closely through her story and being able to share it with others who may wish to understand how immigrants navigate finding their place in American society.
Interviewee Biography:
Ashley Kwon is a twenty-two-year-old Korean American woman. Her parents immigrated to the US at different times in their lives: her father as a child and her mother as a young adult. After spending her early life moving around the country, Ashley settled with her family in Belle Mead, NJ, where she lives with her mother, sister, brother, and beloved dog, BeaBea.
Since a young age, Ashley has been a deeply involved student, with an especially strong interest in music. Currently, she is a senior at Colby College, majoring in psychology and economics, and minoring in music. Outside of academics, Ashley is co-president of the Class of 2026, a leader of the Colby Pre-Law Society and Colby Korean Club, and maintains her interest in music, playing trumpet for Colby’s brass ensemble. Looking forward, Ashley is set to become a lawyer in her years after graduation.