Heejae founded TalkingPoints based on her personal experience growing up as a Korean immigrant student and seeing her mother make a difference in her education because she had the ‘voice’ to do so. Because of this, Heejae realized three things.

First, that her story was not unique. There are 40 million students here, growing up in underserved and immigrant communities.

Second, that her experience was a data point that is supported by academic research. Children spend most of their time outside of school, and research shows that the influence of families on their children’s learning depends on much more than their financial wealth.

Third, that there are real challenges when it comes to supporting your child’s education if you’re an immigrant family – challenges that can include working multiple jobs to put food on the table, speaking limited English, and feeling overwhelmed by the US school system.

Most importantly, every parent’s love for their children is universal. The difference between Heejae’s mother and her friends’ parents wasn’t love, but the skills and tools to support them.