I am a second-generation Korean American, honored daughter of immigrants Wha Lim Han and Dr. Hye Kyung Kim, devoted sister of Christine and Luis Perez and Cheryl Han and Sebastien Gagnon, beloved wife of Jordan Powell (my first love and high school sweetheart), enamored aunt of Teia and Jaelen Perez, and proud native of Alamo, California.

I graduated from the University of California San Diego with a BA in study of religion with a minor in dance (focusing on hip hop, modern and Latin dance), and a certificate from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. It was during my time in college that I felt called to full-time ministry, but the exact destination was unclear. After graduation, I moved to New York City to further study dance and contemplate my next step. In less than a year, I had fallen in love with the city lights, the subway, the buzz and the excitement, and vowed to stay close by. This meant starting at Princeton Theological Seminary in the fall of 2006, interning for two years at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church from 2007–2009, and upon graduation, moving back to the city with my new husband and big hopes for doing urban ministry.

After a few detours, my hopes were realized when I was called to serve as Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church’s Associate Pastor for Christian Education overseeing Adult Education, Young Adults and Family Ministries. I truly believe that the more we know about God, the more we are able to fully love God. And after traveling to Israel and the West Bank with fellow Christians and Jews, I also developed a deep passion for interfaith dialogue. Asking hard questions is one of the most defining and courageous aspects of one’s faith journey, and I think community is the best place for this kind of courage to take place.