Jacky
“You have so much life to live AND give...there may be dark days but always look for the light.”
Jacky's resilience has enabled her to endure adversity, starting from being abandoned on the side of a rural road at the age of five, holding her infant sister. Her journey from that difficult beginning to becoming a mother and grandmother, as well as a successful model, is a testament to her strength. Jacky's modeling work not only showcases the beauty of greying hair but also inspires other women to embrace the same. She stands as a survivor, a fighter, and an empowering leader. This is her story.
P: Please introduce yourself!
J: My name is Stefanie, but I prefer Jacky Lee (My name on all my documentation prior to adoption).
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
J: I am a proud grandma, artist and a Korean Adoptee who have DNA tested.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that has defined you or made you stronger?
J: My Korean mother made the difficult decision to relinquish me along with my younger sister around the age of 5. I found myself on a dirt road holding on to my baby sister not understanding what was going on. That moment defined who I would be for years to come....I am resilient.
P: What is one piece of advice you’d give your younger self?
J: I would tell my younger self, you have so much life to live AND give...there may be dark days but always look for the light.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
J: Being a woman means to me is the ability to evolve while maintaining a certain softness all the while protecting and building my strengths.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say if they were here now
J: The woman who inspires me is Insooni, we are both biracial (Korean and Black) and born 1957 post war Korea. Korea was a very homogenous society and rejected children like us. However she rose above the racial hardships and became an iconic singer that Korea adores.
I would tell her, I love you and thank you for showing me what resilience looks like.