Kate Jung
Kate is a freshman at LACES who lives in Koreatown. She’s active in her school’s Science Bowl, plays guitar, and takes hip-hop and jazz dance classes. Through KARS, she’s learning about substance misuse and recovery — an issue she’s seen affect her peers and community. Kate hopes to raise awareness among other students and promote healthier, more supportive school environments.
Hard Lessons in High School
Interview by Anderson Pastor
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Kate Jung. I'm 14, and I attend LACES (The Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies).
How has it been for you this first week of school?
It's been very tough. I dread [going to school] and just want to go [home] and take a nap, which isn't very healthy because you're supposed to sleep at nighttime. On the bright side, meeting your friends and going somewhere every day is exciting. I'm a freshman, but so far there hasn't been much of a difference [between middle and high school] since LACES also has a middle school, and the buildings are all connected. It’s not much different from middle school for me. It’s pretty big. There are about 30 classrooms in each building, [along with] other small buildings and the gym. The classes are all connected by bridges, and it gets very hot and crowded during passing period.
Where is your hometown?
My hometown is in Korea, but I don't have any memories of it. I have one memory of when my brother tried to troll me and tell me I was adopted while hiking when I was really little, and that's the only memory I have from Korea. I came here when I was around 2 years old.
How do you feel about being in Koreatown? You said you don't have many memories of Korea, but do you think it would be much different if you stayed there instead of here?
I've been wanting to [move back] to Korea. The U.S., California, and L.A. are great places, but I prefer Korea because everybody there is so much more like me. It feels better to be in an area where I'm more secure. [Korea] is also less dangerous than L.A. I've been trying to move, but my parents said we're going to stay in California for a very long time.
Do you still have any family members over there?
Actually, everybody's over there except for my family, and my mom's grandma is in Hawaii. Other than that, everybody — our uncles and cousins — lives in Korea. It’s sad because everybody talks about how close they are to their ancestors, cousins, or uncles, but I never had that experience, especially because of the language barrier. I can speak Korean, but not as fluently as they do. Even though we call each other maybe twice a year, it's still a bit difficult because these 6-year-olds [in my family] are better at Korean than I am.
Do you ever plan to visit them?
I plan on going next year. However, it's a very give-and-take situation because my parents say that if I do go, I have to go with my older brother. They also said I won't be going for another two years if I go next year because my sister has also been wanting to go, so we're trying to fight for a spot. I went back once when I was 4, and there are pictures, but I do not remember anything.
Do you work or live in Koreatown?
I do live in Koreatown. I've been trying to work, but it's funny because I hate rejection. When I ask someone if they’re hiring and they say no, I feel really hurt. I only asked three restaurants, and one of them said yes, but the hours they wanted me to work didn't line up with my schedule, so I couldn't go because I couldn't change my extracurriculars. I hope I can work sometime soon.
What are some extracurriculars that you're currently doing?
I'm on my school’s science bowl team. I also dance hip-hop and jazz. I used to do ballet as a kid, but I gave it up because it hurt a lot, especially my feet. When I got a bunch of bruises, I was like, Yeah, I'm not doing this anymore. Other than that, I play the guitar.
Why did you start doing hip-hop dance?
I started dancing because of my older sister, who is three years older than I am. She was a big role model for me. Whenever we went to get flu shots, if she didn't go, I wouldn't go. I knew that if she went through it, then it was safe for me. So I also started dancing when she started dancing. She's still better than me, but I try my best.
I started music because of my older brother, who played the violin. I was so amazed by how good he was that I decided to try it too. However, I ended up quitting a year later and moving on to guitar.
What is your schedule like?
On Fridays after school, I go straight to my dance class [for about two hours]. I teach myself music almost every day. I'll learn a new song, a new chord, or a tab. My schedule is very free. I've been trying to sign up for more extracurriculars because [my current ones] only take around two hours [a day] and half of my week.
I want to join a sport, but I'm so unfit. If I join a sport, I'm going to ruin my school's teams, which are pretty good. I'm trying to join this medical thing, but I need a recommendation letter. Since I just changed to high school, I barely know my teachers. I need a high school teacher's recommendation letter. Like, how am I supposed to ask one of these teachers? I barely know them and have just met them!
What are some things that you have picked up from your older siblings that still apply in your life?
I have four siblings. My oldest sibling — my sister — and I are like opposites. She's very nice, but I'm rude to my family members, or she's more clingy to them, while I'm more distant. I don't really like hugging and don't say “I love you” to them. I have other ways to show that I love them.
People say my older brother, who is younger than my older sister, and I act similarly. We tease our younger brother. We tease everybody — that's just how we socialize. But I hate it when people tell me that because I don't like him. Even though we act the same, I don't like it. My second-oldest sister — she's just a role model for me. I don't like how she acts distant, which is hypocritical because I'm also distant. But watching someone else be distant with the family is like, Why are you doing that? My younger brother looks up to me a lot, so I'll be very nice to the family around him. I'm glad about that because it gives me the time to show an example and be nice to them.
What is the most significant memory you have of Koreatown?
This one is a bit silly. I remember when I was 8 years old, my family went to a restaurant, but my older brother and I did not like the food, so we decided not to eat. [My family] got mad, so they decided to leave us on a small block. They did two rounds [around the block] and then came back. But my brother and I were like, “Okay, let’s just walk home.” We walked four blocks, and they eventually found us, and we got in even more trouble for doing that. My brother was like 14, so he did have a phone, but apparently, he had the wrong home address, so we had been going in the wrong direction the whole time.
Do you have any favorite places in Koreatown?
I don't have a specific favorite place, but I do love high buildings with balconies or empty parking lots late at night. I go with my friends just to chillax and talk. It's very relaxing.
Why did you join KARS?
Most of my siblings participated in YDAPP or [other KYCC programs], and my mom said, ‘If you want to go into medicine, then you should join this.’ They paid us, so I joined.
What do you know about substance use?
I have a lot of personal experience with it. A lot of my friends used marijuana. I ended up getting into it. I started [using marijuana] in the fall semester of sixth grade. I quit very recently, about four months ago. The reason why I stopped was that I got a boyfriend, and he was like, ‘I don't like how you do that with your friends at parties and stuff.’ So we made a deal because he was a drinker, and I said, “Hey, if you don't drink, then I won't do anything. I won't use nicotine or smoke [marijuana].” That's the deal we made. We did end up breaking up, but I'm not sad about it because it had fallen apart for a good month. It was very chaotic. I quit because of him, which I am very grateful for because I don't think I would have stopped to this day if he weren't there.
The way I started [smoking] was just through friends and parties, and then I eventually owned [a vape]. I started sneaking it into school and using it in the restroom. I ended up building up a high tolerance, which is right before the stage where you get heavily addicted. I would say I overconsumed but never overdosed. My belly and head started hurting, and I felt like throwing up. That was also around the time [my former boyfriend and I] made the deal not to use substances. I felt like I could do it because after throwing up, I was like, I don't want to do this anymore.
How do you feel ever since you stopped using substances?
I’ve low-key been wanting to do it again, but I won't because I know that was a very dark stage for me. I don’t want to be in that place anymore; it’s so bad and self-sabotaging. I feel much happier now. I feel less mad because I was very rude to my family members when I was addicted, and they didn't know I was.
How do you feel your life has changed positively?
I'm less mad and less moody. I’ve also felt healthier. In PE, I was struggling because I was damaging my lungs. I was very sporty, and even in my dance classes, I ran out of breath twice as fast. At one point, I thought I had lung cancer. I told my uncle what was going on. I was losing weight rapidly and always felt like throwing up. I told him I was using substances, and he was very disappointed in me, even though he does it too. The [doctor] did find something in my lungs, but they were like, ‘If you take this medicine, you should be fine.’ I think it was like NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) or something. [The doctor gave me a medicine] that makes you bald, but I didn't have to take much of it. Only maybe 1/4 of my hair fell out.
Have you told your parents about it?
I told my mom that I’d done it with a friend. I never told my parents that owned [a vape]. My older sister helped me through [quitting smoking] a lot.
How do you think opioids or stimulants have impacted your community?
Today I went to the restroom just to do my business, but then these four girls went into the big stall and smoked something. I was like, Oh my God, they're doing weed! I was with my friend at the time, and I told her to get out because she had never even touched [marijuana]. So I was like, “Please don't breathe it in!” I’m not scared that my friends who don't do it will eventually try it; I'm more concerned about myself. If I breathe it in slightly, I'll want to do it again. I’d like the feeling.
Do you know any peers who are using opioids or stimulants?
I know my uncle smokes marijuana. I mean, he's not abusing anything. He does it a lot because he goes to parties often. I think he’s 28, so he lives a very vivid life. He goes partying with his friends, raving, and does things like that. Honestly, I used to look up to him when I was in the sixth grade, thinking how his life seemed so fun. But now I think that life seems so boring. Going out 24/7 must drain you. At my school, I would say 1 in 5 students use opioids or stimulants. If you go to the classroom, 1/4 of the class is actively [using substances].
Do you see the school doing anything about it?
Sadly, no. The only thing I'm aware of is that the [school staff] searches students. But a lot of people just hide it so they won't find it. Honestly, that does nothing. They need to contact their parents, but apparently, they don't anymore.