The Words of In Jin Moon from 2009
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The Words of In Jin Moon from 2009 |
Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) college graduates have been picking up their share of plaudits and honors in the last two weeks. The following seven college graduates are a few representatives of Unificationist Generation Next future leaders.
Ann B., graduate of University of Maryland
Future Diplomat
Ann B.
University Park,
Maryland
Parents: Antonio and Kyoko B.
Graduated from:
University of Maryland
Achievements: Awarded Thomas R. Pickering
Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship; Member, Phi Beta Kappa Honors
Society; Omicron Delta Kappa, Leadership Honors Society; Educational
Assistance Grant, State of Maryland; East Asian Studies Scholarship,
Government and Politics Department, University of Maryland (Fall
2006); Mary Elizabeth Roby Scholarship honoring women's leadership,
University Park Women's Club (Spring 2007)
Ann B. recently was accepted to Georgetown University's highly competitive Master of Science in Foreign Service Program. In addition, she was awarded the Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship, granted each year to only 20 students who show promise to enhance the U.S. Foreign Service. The program gives Fellows full tuition, room, board, and conditional acceptance into the U.S. Foreign Service upon finishing their master's degree.
"I want to work towards rebuilding relationships between the United States and the rest of the world, focusing on development and sharing of common goals and values," Ann e-mailed Familyfed.org from Korea, adding that "becoming a diplomat is the road I'm seeking to work for world peace and one united human family."
She goes on to give testimony to her church training and her parents: "I went to Special Task Force (STF) program in Latin America for one year, where I not only learned how to survive in an very foreign environment but even found myself developing and learning more than I ever thought I could. It seems that my lowest and loneliest times were the ones that brought me closer to God and closer to my identity as a child born into blessings that were long masked as responsibilities. All of these experiences have brought me into a new understanding of myself and a focus on how to accomplish all of my goals. My parents [Antonio and Kyoko B.] are fabulous examples to me and always inspire me to believe in myself and never give up."
Ann writes that she was happily blessed to Joshua Scazzero from Bridgeport, Connecticut, in Landover Hills, Maryland, on May 17, 2008. She is currently with Josh studying Korean at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, until August.
C. Patterson (together with fiance Megan Simmonds), graduate of Pace University
Future Human Resources Executive
C. Patterson
Irvington,
New York
Parents: Charles and Toshiko Patterson
Graduated: Pace
University
Achievement: Winner of Trustee Award and the Lubin
School of Business Scholastic Achievement Award
C. Patterson recently was honored as a recipient of Pace University's Trustee Award and the Lubin School of Business Scholastic Achievement Award, which are the highest academic awards attainable by an undergraduate at Pace University and its business school [Lubin School of Business], respectively. In addition, he received the Management Faculty Award for outstanding contribution to the Management Department.
The congregation of WestRock Family church in Tarrytown, New York, respects C. as an organizer of programs for high-school and middle-school youth. C. says he owes his achievements to the love of his family and community. He credits his early religious life with helping him to form a strong work ethic, and he says that his volunteer work showed him how to take care of people. C. tells Familyfed.org that he hopes to begin his career in human resources somewhere in New York area. He also plans to contribute to nonprofit work, an idea that stems from several years of an enjoyable experience working with the WestRock Family Church and with nonprofits such as the Religious Youth Service and Peace Dream Foundation.
Yusun Tobkin Abrahams, graduate of Ohio State University
Future Teacher
Yusun Tobkin Abrahams
Fairfield,
Ohio
Parents: Paul and Jutta Tobkin
Graduated from: Ohio State
University
Achievement: Awarded Fulbright Graduate School
Scholarship
Yusun Abrahams recently was designated a Fulbright Scholarship Recipient by the U.S. Department of State. She will graduate from Ohio State University on June 14th of this year with a major in mathematics and a minor in German, and then will head to Germany later this summer. Her Fulbright grant will allow her to teach English to German students at a postsecondary school in Germany as an English-language Teaching Assistant. Yusun says she will finish her master's degree in secondary education after her Fulbright Scholarship duties and plans on teaching high school mathematics.
Yusun credits her spouse, her parents, and the spiritual teachings of her church for instilling in her a strong work ethic and a determination to reach high goals. "I have found that by giving of yourself with a positive attitude, it all comes back to you in some way or another. That's just the way the world works. You just have to trust in the process of life," she says.
Yusun says she believes in the importance of developing and nurturing one's spiritual life and values at an early age. She spent her 8th-grade year attending school in Seoul, Korea, where she learned the language and culture of the Korean people, and she did volunteer work for the Religious Youth Service to help build a school in Guatemala. After high school and before entering college, she made the decision to complete two years of volunteer work through STF, an international leadership training program.
She subsequently started her college life at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, in 2004, followed by a year at Miami (of Ohio) University in 2005 before transferring to the Ohio State University in 2006, where her husband, Garrun Abrahams (who is the youth minister for their church) and her brother Jason also are students.
Tokufumi Noda, graduate of Boston College
Future Lawyer
Tokufumi Noda
Barrytown, New
York
Parents: Keisuke and Chiyo Noda
Graduated from: Boston
College
Achievements: Summa Cum Laude, Dean's List, Phi Beta
Kappa, departmental honors, partial scholarship to Boston College Law
Tokufumi ("Tommy") Noda graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in English, achieving Summa Cum Laude and Dean's List First Honors. Also, he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and received departmental honors. Tommy minored in Faith, Peace, and Justice, and was president of the Interfaith Dialogue Club of Boston College. Outside of the university setting, he served two years on STF; during his student years in Boston, he was active in CARP and the music ministry of the Boston Family Church. This coming fall he will attend Boston College Law School on a partial scholarship.
"Throughout my college years, Father and Mother Moon's vision for peace and the Boston College mottos have raised important questions," Tommy writes to Familyfed.org. "How can I be a person for others? How do my studies contribute to a better world? How can I, as a Unificationist, add value to a Catholic university?" He continues: "These questions have inspired me to stay involved in my community, take challenging classes, and contribute in any way I can to interfaith life on campus. These questions will continue to challenge me to realize the dream of "One Family Under God" in meaningful and practical ways through my personal relationships, legal studies, and future career in the law."