The 5th Mexican Youth Dream Presentation Festival, hosted by the My Dream International Foundation and organized by the Central American and Caribbean Korean Schools Association, was held on October 5th at the Mexican Korean School auditorium in Mexico City.
This event was sponsored by the Mexican Korean School Association, the World Korean Trade Association Monterrey Chapter, the Central American and Caribbean Council of the Advisory Council for Democracy and Peace and Unification, and the Mexican Korean Association. Among the applicants from all over Mexico, including Mexico City, Monterrey, and Tijuana, a total of 14 youths advanced to the finals after a first-round manuscript review and held a contest to present their dreams.
At the opening ceremony that day, which was attended by distinguished guests including President Oh Young-ran of the Korean School Association in Mexico, Director Park Sang-hwa of the Korean Education Center in Mexico, President Jang Won of the Korean Association in Mexico, and Senior Vice President Lee Jong-hoon of the Advisory Council for Democracy and Peace, the My Dream International Foundation Mexico Branch (Branch Manager Jin Jeong-ah) gave an opening speech saying, “I hope that presenting your dreams in front of many people will be an opportunity for you to get one step closer to your dreams, and I hope that you will grow into global talents in line with the vision of the foundation and serve as a bridge between your home country and the country of your residence.” Following this, the My Dream International Foundation (Chairman Son Chang-hyun) said in a congratulatory video, “I hope that the participating students will gain the courage to pursue creative visions and dreams of a bright future through the Dream Presentation Festival, and I support that process.” President Oh Young-ran of the Mexican Korean School Association said in her welcoming speech, “I welcome everyone here and give a round of applause to all the participants.” President Jang Won of the Mexican Korean Association said in his congratulatory remarks, “I congratulate all the finalists and hope that they will relax and present their dreams that they have prepared well.”
The 14 students who participated in the competition that followed the opening ceremony presented their own dreams, including becoming a film director, artist, veterinarian, architect, mathematician, UN Secretary-General, orphanage director, airplane pilot, doctor, physicist, psychologist, lawyer, and nurse. Although they have not yet decided on a specific occupation, they expressed gratitude for the opportunity to think about their dreams through this competition and presented the process of preparing and drawing out those dreams.
The judges included Jin Jeong-ah, the Mexico branch director of the My Dream International Foundation, Oh Young-ran, the president of the Mexican Korean School Association, and Shim Seon-mi, the Mexico office director of the Small and Medium Business Administration. The judges evaluated the entries based on the purity of the dream, creativity of the dream, presentation skills, attitude, and speaking skills. Jin Jeong-ah, the Mexico branch director of the My Dream International Foundation, said in her comments, “I am proud and want to praise the students who have been improving not only their Korean language skills but also their presentation skills every year. I gave more points to the presenters who spoke naturally, rather than giving mechanical presentations from memory.” She also sent words of encouragement, saying, “I hope that the students who unfortunately did not win will try again next year.”
As a result of the competition, first place was awarded to Na-yeon Lee (3rd year of high school) who presented her dream of becoming an architect under the title, “The process of building a space that contains me.” Na-yeon Lee said in her acceptance speech, “I would like to thank the foundation for giving me the opportunity to solidify my dream through this competition.” Second place was awarded to Yun-ah Kim (2nd year of middle school) who presented her dream of rekindling her dream of becoming a mathematician instead of a skater under the title, “My dream that time creates.” Third place was awarded to Seung-hoon Lee (1st year of high school) who presented his dream of becoming a veterinarian who practices love and respect for life under the title, “The hand that protects life.”
Kim Yoon-ah, who won second place, shared her joy at winning the award, saying, “This is my second time competing, following last year, and I am very happy and grateful to have won second place at this year’s Youth Dream Presentation Festival. I have never lived in Korea before, so it felt unfamiliar and awkward to present in Korean in front of so many people. However, through these two experiences, I have gained a lot of confidence in presenting in Korean, and I will continue to work hard to achieve my dream. It also gave me the courage to challenge myself to do better in the next competition.” Lee Seung-hoon, who won third place, shared his thoughts, saying, “This competition gave me the opportunity to get closer to my dream, and I hope to work hard next time to get even better results.”
In addition, encouragement prizes were awarded to 11 students who advanced to the finals: Lee Su-ah, Jeong Se-jin, Kim Seung-yeon, Lee Yoon-ah, Oh Gyum-bi, Song Si-woo, Bang Hye-seong, Shin Jin-gyeong, Ryu Chang-woon, Kim Kevin Hyun-joong, and Jeong Se-in. The winners were awarded prize money of US$300 for 1st place, US$200 for 2nd place, US$100 for 3rd place, and US$50 for encouragement prize.
My Dream International Foundation is a global non-profit foundation established in 2012 with the purpose of supporting Korean youth and college students around the world to realize their dreams by promoting Korean culture, improving their leadership and character, and making them global leaders. Currently, it has 18 branches around the world to discover next-generation talents with dreams and potential among overseas Korean youth (ages 12-18) and support their dreams through global scholarship programs, and holds the 'Youth Dream Presentation Festival' in about 50 countries every year.
Group photo of all guests, participants and winners
From the left, 2nd place Kim Yoon-ah, 1st place Lee Na-yeon (middle), 3rd place Lee Seung-hoon
From left, Lee Seon-hee, vice principal of the Korean Language School in Mexico, Shim Seon-mi, director of the Mexico office of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency,
My Dream International Foundation Mexico Branch Director Jin Jeong-ah, Mexico Korean School Association President Oh Young-ran, 2nd place Kim Yun-ah, 1st place Lee Na-yeon, 3rd place Lee Seung-hoon, Mexico Korean Education Center Director Park Sang-hwa, Mexico Korean Association President Jang Won, Democratic Peace Unification Advisory Council Central American and Caribbean Council Senior Vice President Lee Jong-hoon
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