As a first generation Korean immigrant to Los Angeles, my identity has been shaped by my environment. One that is vibrant, diverse, and at times tense. I noticed early on the oppositions between my culture and that of my new home. The collective and the individual, tradition and innovation, privilege and exclusion. This gave me an appreciation for contrasts, for within the tension of two opposing forces, new understandings are formed. It is this balancing of differences which helped me navigate an eventful life. Tensions which translate into my design, help me create dynamic narratives that are ultimately human.