The Korean Legal Studies and The Nuclear Nonproliferation Law

As a Deaf African-American woman, I feel that my background would make a major impact in the worlds of law because my insights would provide the legal people with a positive message that individuals with intellectual disabilities are in fact capable, are serious and would like to be part of the high security environment. I developed an interest in Asian law during my past study abroad opportunity with the International Scholar Laureate Program on Diplomacy and International Relations (ISLP) in China. The ISLP has really convinced me that despite the rapid economic change, demand for legal knowledge, and for networking contact with Asian legal scholars, it was, indeed, important to examine more about the China's legal world, Japan's legal world and especially the Korea's legal world but, also in some other part of the middle east as well.

For now, I would like to narrow down my area of focus in South Korea, perhaps, in my other blogs, I would discuss about what I would like to do in other countries. So, it remains immensely important to me that I expand my interest in learning about the Republic of Korea's current laws, national security laws, laws in the global economy, and laws for addressing the North Korea's current nuclear capacity issues at law school. After I enter law school the first year, I hope to apply for an opportunity to study abroad for a semester at the Yonsei Law School, a summer academic law program located in the capitol city of Seoul, since many legal internships in Seoul are focusing on nuclear proliferation law and are almost exclusively available through the Korean government ministries--Justice and Defense or at international minded law firms. While at Yonsei Law and at an internship, I hope to conduct work on strengthening the Korea's national security law- a specialized legal field for dealing with the broad spectrum of domestic and international scenarios within the legal context: regional wars, military contingencies, foreign defense, counter proliferation, and the technologies of space and missile systems.

As I anticipate for law school, I hope to also further my knowledge of the Korean language (Hangul) in preparation for exchanging information with the Korean ambassadors, military officials, legal attorneys and intelligence analysts in the U.S. Embassy South Korea, Korean supreme and constitutional courts, Korean government ministries and, Korean National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea or in the Office of Korean Affairs at the State Department in the U.S. In a few more years, I could become a Deaf, African-American woman who has both Korean and American legal educational experiences, bringing about diplomatic changes from solving nuclear security issues in both international security environment and inter-Korean relations.

Veterans' Day: Honoring the Special Troops

Veterans’ Day is a special day. This day serves as a way to help remind us of the veterans, men and women, who served in the military: U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. These people served in the wars with courage and determination. Today, the Americans would like to thank them for their sacrifices, contribution and dedication for serving in the wars for the United States of America; everyday, we think of these people as people who give us inspiration and encouragement from their dedicating to the war efforts overseas. Finally, we the Deaf individuals, would like to thank and honor these people for serving in the military in the past and present on this very important day!

Toronja-

Don’t Forget to Vote Today!

One of the most important things you can do in American politics is to vote! So, please remember to vote today! When you vote, you make your voice heard! As Deaf individuals, we should go out there and put out our votes. When we do this, we let the powerful leaders know that we are the important American citizens who care about voting in this political process. We are definitely the involved, informed and independent citizens. So, let's go out there and show who we are and vote for the representatives. Vote today on this Election Day!
Toronja-

The White House’s Project’s START Now Summit: Women’s Leaders for Nuclear Security- Part Two

The second day of The White House’s Project’s START Now Summit: Women’s Leaders for Nuclear Security (TWHP) was even more AMAZING! The Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, who served as the Chief Negotiator of the New START Treaty with the Russian Federation, spoke to us about how we could become more involved in advocating for policies that would help to increase more nuclear security in our nation. In another instance, the summit has also helped me to understand that I could use nuclear diplomacy to urge other voters and lawmakers to make nuclear security a priority issue in America.

At the closing ceremony, I received my Certificate of Accomplishment for completing the 2010 Women’s leadership in Nuclear Security training, and have been officially announced as the new TWHP 2010 alumna; even one of the TWHP staff asked if I would ever run for office someday, and I enthusiastically replied “yes” and, the crowd cheered on for me! Overall, the summit has been helpful as it has prepared me for running for an elected office or for working in the nuclear security law field as a Deaf attorney in a few more years. I want to sincerely thank all TWHP staff for making this informative event possible for me!

Toronja-

The White House Project's START Now Summit: Women’s Leaders for Nuclear Security- Part One

I am PROUD to inform you that I have been accepted to attend The White House Project’s START Now Summit: Women’s Leaders for Nuclear Security (TWHP) in Washington, D.C. for two days from Monday, October 18th to Tuesday, October 19th. My purpose for attending this two-day intensive summit is because I wanted to learn about the urgency of the issue of nuclear security from high-level women experts such as the former United States CIA operations Officer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and the Missile Defense Policy and the Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security at TWHP.

After attending the Monday’s programming event, it has just reinforced to me even more stronger of how important it is to demonstrate my leadership potential through effectively advocating for nuclear security policies in the national security and foreign policy organizations and think tanks. As a Deaf person, I find it so important to demonstrate my leadership potential to other powerful people, letting them know that I also feel that it is important to make critical decisions on complex issues surrounding nuclear disarmament in America and overseas. Today would also be a VERY interesting day so please stay tuned in for MORE of The White House Project’s START Now Summit news here!

Toronja-

9/11: A Day of Service and Remembrance

Nine years ago, nearly three thousand Americans lost their lives in the 9/11 tragedy. And, numerous of Americans have risked their lives through saving other Americans in this same tragedy. Today, the Americans can reflect on these fallen brave men and women and also reflect on these fallen ones' families and friends who still greatly grieve about them during this tough economy. This day also gives the politicians and leaders on the Capitol Hill a time to consider the importance of strengthening the National Security laws and policies in order to protect this country against any other adversarial challenges from not only the Islamic countries but from other foreign countries as well.

I'd like to kindly mention that the 9/11 event has illustrated the heroism and selflessness of so many of these fellow Americans in the wake of this tragedy. After seeing the politicians and leaders try to solve the 9/11 situation a few years ago, they have GREATLY inspired me to get into a major in International Studies with a concentration in Diplomacy in college. As I was pursuing this degree in college in 2005, I wanted to show the Americans that a Deaf person could, indeed, show a GREAT concern for protecting this nation from any unwanted political and social challenges as well. Besides that, several defense and security initiatives in America continue to be used in order to prevent this country from having any other tragic issues in a few years from now. But, the critical need for strengthening these defense and security initiatives has become important as well.

May God Bless those Americans who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy.Will you be honoring these fallen ones on this September 11th National Day of Service? I definitely will be!

Toronja-

Let Nothing Stop You and Make a Bigger Difference!

A few months ago, I was awarded to be chosen as one of the Kessler Disabilities Scholarship Recipients. As a recipient, I was expected to fulfill the Kessler Disabilities Scholarship Sponsor’s requirement which was to successfully complete The Washington Center program (TWC). In the past semester, I have not only successfully completed TWC program, but I have also fulfilled my other highly educational and professional expectations. I have, ultimately, embraced ALL available political opportunities which have existed in TWC and beyond (in the nation’s capital); mainly, because in the past, I told myself that I would make the biggest difference I can for this world. For example, before I arrived here, I wanted to, primarily, make the biggest impacts to the National Security community AND, secondarily, to the international community as well.

Throughout my time here, I have been so eager to learn about the various issues related to the National Security field, because, I was really so curious about seeing how different departmental officers and non-profit organizational leaders worked together to handle with the several foreign policy matters in the legal, diplomacy, and military institutions. I also wanted to give the important leaders from these departmental offices and non-profit organizations a GREATER understanding of who I was, individually, representing on behalf of the Deaf community. And, I eventually realized that from participating in both The Washington Center’s Law and Criminal Justice community and The Truman National Security Project's "Security Springboard” community, making a contribution to these communities was strongly important.

So I learned SO MUCH from participating in these communities and, I am sure others interns and leaders have learned from me about my unique identifiable characters—race and disability. My experience here was truly so indisciplinarily diversified, varying from my participating in the Public Policy Dialogue meeting for a Senator on Capitol Hill to the Intern Summit panel meeting with the State Department Foreign Service Officers at the State Department and to The Truman National Security Project's "Security Springboard” luncheon meeting with Truman Fellows and Scholars at the John Hopkins University.

After attending these meetings, I was really grateful and deeply pleased to have achieved MANY THINGS on my own. The contributions which I have made here have, indeed, turned out very POSTIVELY; and, which have also convinced other young people to follow in the same direction most INFLUENTIALLY. And, there’s no question about it—that, the National Security field will, ultimately, become an exciting and intellectually stimulating field which other young people may explore into. Besides attending the TWC programs and Truman programs, I have witnessed The 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and The Disabled American Veterans Convention of 2010, headlined across the front pages of The Washington Post because it was something that have, indeed, insinuately, contributed to National Security community in a seemly small way, emphasizing the importance of valuing the disability community’s contribution to the National Security community.

As a person of disability, I now STRONGLY believe that I can contribute to the National Security Community. And, being a Deaf, African-American woman, I would like to give you my wisdom: Always keep on marching forward in the right direction, always let nothing stop you from, politically, ACHIEVING anything coming in your direction; and, keep reaching for the bigger sky because nothing is ever IMPOSSIBLE!

Toronja-