MEET THE SHIFT NOMADS!
We are always excited when new nomads join us in office. Their spirit and personalities fill the office with so much energy and passion. These 15 individuals have dedicated the next 3 months of their lives to shifting public perception on North Korea by traveling all across the country to share the stories of the North Korean people with individuals like you.
If you haven’t signed up yet to bring these awesome people to your town, request a screening here.
Kathleen, Tim, Young-Jin
WHY ARE YOU A NOMAD?
Kathleen:I have a serious need for adventure and to help people. This is the perfect combination of travel, humanitarian work and sense of community with the most amazing people!
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT LINK?
Tim: A good friend who was previously a Nomad shared the story of the North Korea Crisis with me and less then a week later I was on a flight out to LA for the Spring ’11 Nomad Tour.
FAVORITE BAND/MOVIE?
Young-Jin: Hands down Jack Johnson/ All Disney Movies but the ultimate Disney flick is Pinocchio.
FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY?
Kathleen: Spending a week in August with my Grandma Stewart (yes I always called her that instead of just ‘grandma’. they couldn’t make me say just ‘grandma’ so it stuck) in Hilton Head every year.
IF YOU COULD SWIM IN A POOL OF ANYTHING WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Tim: I’d swim in a pool of seltzer, the fizziness would have to be crazy!
Chi, Justin, Sonny
WHY ARE YOU A NOMAD?
Justin: I’ve never had a lot of money to give, but I have time. I was floored that all I ever heard about North Korea was the nuclear issue. Once I heard about the human rights abuses, I felt the need to act.
FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY?
Chi: My favorite childhood memory is the blizzard of ’96, when my parents and I played in the snow for a solid week. We built snowmen, had snowball fights, and went sledding every day! My parents always worked long hours, so being able to spend quality time with them was really special to me.
FAVORITE BOOK?
Justin: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Chi: Into The Wild
Sonny: Where the Sidewalk Ends
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS/GOALS?
Chi: I have no idea what my future looks like. All I know is that I want my life to consist of three things: helping people, making music, and being happy.
WHAT’S ONE THING ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?
Sonny: Cross country road trip. Booyah!
Menekse, Philippe, Elaine
WHY ARE YOU A NOMAD?
Philippe: I strongly believe in finding out where our deepest interests, passions, and talents meet the world’s most urgent crises. I’ve always had the travel bug, I’m attracted to atypical living situations, and I enjoy speaking and helping others get passionate about something. Being able to put those to do something about one of the world’s most stark crises is just something I can’t pass up.
IF YOU COULD SWIM IN A POOL OF ANYTHING WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Menekse: If it didn’t hurt them, I would totally swim in a pool full of adorable puppies.
WHO IS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN YOU LIFE?
Elaine: My grandmother. As petite as she may be, she is one of the loudest, strongest and bravest women I know.
FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY?
Philippe: I turned five on a plane ride back from Egypt. Unbeknownst to my mom, I told the flight attendant about this when I got on the plane. Mid-flight, she announced my birthday over the loudspeaker. The couple in the row behind us blew up a latex glove into a balloon and the airlines gave us complimentary banana bread. It was great.
WHAT’S ONE THING ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?
Menekse: Taking a backpacking trip through South America and seeing every country.
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WANT TO DO ON TOUR?
Elaine: Eat cheese curds in Wisconsin.
Lei, Shelbie, Brett
WHY ARE YOU A NOMAD?
Brett: I am a nomad because I believe all people deserve certain basic human rights and because I don’t really know the answer to the ever-elusive meaning-of-life question but there’s something to be said for making life a little more tolerable for others. All I want is to do good things and this is, indubitably, a good thing.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?
Lei: A medieval scientist/doctor. I made my own tools.
Shelbie: A fire engine. Or a dinosaur.
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WANT TO DO ON TOUR?
Brett: I don’t know. Shower?
WHAT’S ONE LIFE CHANGING MOMENT YOU HAVE HAD?
Shelbie: Getting accepted to New York University was pretty life changing. It was the only school I wanted to attend (I was in love/obsessed), and I watched people get accepted online for days without hearing back myself. I was convinced I didn’t get in, then I got a huge parcel from NYU in the snail mail and figured it was too big to be a rejection letter. I got in.
IF YOU COULD SWIM IN A POOL OF ANYTHING WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Lei: Chili dogs with a lot of mustard. Its my favorite thing to eat, and I can’t swim; so I’d much rather die in something that I can enjoy for a little bit.
Michelle, John, Jade
WHY ARE YOU A NOMAD?
Jade: I fell in love with this position from the moment I heard about it when the Northeast Nomads came to my university. The position combines three of my passions: travel, connecting/meeting with others, and spreading awareness/hope about the NK crisis. I love the idea of inspiring people that they can change the world. I find it so exciting that I’m able to meet new people every day who are passionate for social justice and are willing to open their minds to the idea of hope that exists for the North Korean people. It requires a lot of faith to follow this mission, and it’ll be amazing to meet others who are willing to dedicate themselves to a notion that is deemed “impossible” to achieve.
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WANT TO DO ON TOUR?
John: Inspire and reach out to the youth and college students to start/continue their work in making a difference in North Korea.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS/GOALS?
Michelle: I want to improve my fluency in Korean. I also want to work with refugee populations in Asia.
ONE THING YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?
Jade: I can’t live without the feeling of wind in my hair. Something about it makes me feel so present in my surroundings. I remember that life is actually happening and that at any moment I could be pushed in a new direction. It reminds me of who I am.
FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY?
John: My adventures with my older brother and younger sister: exploring the outdoors, video games, watching Disney movies, etc.
WHAT’S ONE THING ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?
Michelle: Skydiving
