Crean Lutheran High School · Senior
Nathan
Youn.
Words gave me a voice.
I want to lend it to others.
I came to the United States at five without English and taught myself the language one book at a time. Last summer, I stood at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. and spoke for North Korean refugees. That is the arc I’m building on: language, learned the hard way, turned into advocacy for people who need it.
Why lawCuriosity, put to work.
- ACT
- 34
- AP courses
- 11
- AP Scholar
- w/ Distinction
The argument
Every experience
is evidence.
Each step below led to the next. Taken together, they make the case for why I’m pursuing law.
01 / PremiseLanguage was earned, not given.
I arrived in the U.S. at five with no English and built it through nearly a thousand books. Reading became writing—recognized in 2026 by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards—and writing became the way I think through history, institutions, and people.
My academic foundation02 / EvidenceMy struggles became my service.
Growing up with severe myopia and a lazy eye, I know what it means to need help seeing clearly. So I built a vision-training app, assisted eye exams for underserved families in Tijuana, and sing with seniors on weekends—because missing my own grandmother taught me what their loneliness feels like.
Service in practice03 / ProofAdvocacy, tested in Washington.
I founded a Voice for the Voiceless chapter at my school that now has over 40 members. With the Korean Church Coalition, I traveled to Washington, D.C., led my grade-level group through the program, delivered a speech at the National Press Club, and met with lawmakers about North Korean human rights and refugee protection.
The full story04 / ConclusionTherefore: law.
Law is where language, evidence, and service converge. As president of OffSchool Authors, I helped student writers publish an anthology. We sold over 200 copies and raised over $2,000 for charities in Honduras and Los Angeles. Mock trial and research have taught me to ask what makes evidence convincing. The next step is studying the humanities and social sciences on the way to a legal career.
Why law matters to meI learned English to find my own voice. I’m studying law to make sure other people are heard.