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Adoptee advocate to speak on campus

March 13, 2000

Washington state Sen. Paull Shin will be visiting campus Tuesday, March 21, in his continuing advocacy on behalf of Korean adoptees.

Separated from birth parents and often raised by parents not of their ethnicity, Korean adoptees often have a hard time figuring out their identity and finding out where they fit into American society.

Shin, adopted by Ray Paull at the age of 18, overcame many challenges to succeed in life as a scholar and as a politician. Shin will tell his story of reconciliation and triumph as a Korean adoptee and as an adoptive parent.

Shin endured the hardships of being a Korean adoptee in America, just as he survived poverty, scorn, and discrimination against orphans in Korea. Helping other adopted Koreans discover their identity and succeed in their lives has become a lifelong project for Shin.

Shin will speak at 7 p.m. in Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St. Check Today in the Union listing for room. For more information, contact Hope Rennie, East Asian Studies Program, (608) 262-3643.