AADVENT Staff

Laura Mariko Cheifetz, AADVENT Director
Laura grew up a pastor’s kid in the Pacific Northwest in a biracial family (Japanese American and white Jewish). She attended Western Washington University and McCormick Theological Seminary, taking a year off of school to serve as a young adult intern at the Presbyterian United Nations Office in New York. She was ordained to the position in which she currently serves as Director of the AADVENT Project at McCormick, working to nurture Asian American young adults for transformational leadership in church and society. She has resigned herself to adjusting to Chicago weather for the time being. Laura enjoys cooking, fiction, and is hooked on back episodes of The Wire.

Joann Lee, Student Assistant
Joann Haejong Lee is a senior at McCormick Theological Seminary. She lives in Chicago with her Jack Rusell Terrier, Bailey. The two are known for spending their mornings cuddling together in bed. Joann was born in Queens, NY but grew up in Houston, Texas. She is an alum of the University of Texas and bleeds burnt orange (Hook 'em!) . Joann recently got engaged and plans to spend her summer planning for both AADVENT's summer events as well as the wedding. Her fiance proposed to her via iPod. Very 21st century and Asian American, no?

Rich Pak, Student Assistant
Rich is a second year MDiv student at McCormick. He grew up in Salt Lake City in a Korean immigrant household that constituted the entire Asian American population in his neighborhood. He attended the University of Utah and the University of Michigan and really does not want to see Ohio State win another national championship. Prior to coming to seminary, he worked as a public policy research analyst in Salt Lake City. Rich attended the first AADVENT conference, which eventually led him to McCormick. He is committed to the work that AADVENT is doing and looks forward to working with more Asian American young adults in ministry.

Kurt Esslinger , Student Assistant
Kurt is a 3 and 1/2 year senior at McCormick. He was hired at first so that the Asian Americans could put a white boy to work in their closet, and he was happy to resign from the spotlight after centuries of oppression. Now he gets to work a little on the computer too. He grew up in Midland, Texas where he saw one Asian (restaurant owner). He studied undergrad at Austin College in Sherman, TX and spent years studying and volunteering in Scotland, England, and Korea (where he saw many Asians). He can speak a bit of Korean and make some killer kimchi cheon. After volunteering in Korea with women around US military bases, Kurt is happy to help provide more support for Asian communities while in Chicago.

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