# How Curiosity As An Adoptee & Foster Created A Movement | Grace Yung Foster | TEDxMontgomery College Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVMoPvK_H_8 Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/EVMoPvK_H_8 Generated: 2025-12-09T17:44:47.516+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Grace Yung, an adoptee and former foster child, built a movement to advocate for better representation and resources for people with similar backgrounds by taking intentional actions: valuing herself, letting go of limiting narratives, and fighting for change, which led to her becoming a CEO and founder. **Key Points:** - Grace Yung, an adoptee and former foster youth who spent time in orphanages in South Korea before being adopted in 1998, experienced homelessness, economic hardship, and mental health issues. - Statistics show that foster care alumni face significant challenges, including lower high school and college graduation rates compared to the general population. - A study revealed that 46% of respondents felt invisible in the workplace, only 10% agreed there were career resources for them, and 24% felt belonging as an adoptee or foster. - 92% of respondents want a professional platform for adoptees and fosters, highlighting the need for targeted career resources. - Yung overcame feelings of worthlessness and lack of belonging by refusing to let her past dictate her future, deciding she held the power to create the life and future she wanted. - Her three intentional actions for change are: 1) Repeat, 'I am valuable because I am a human being'; 2) Let go of whatever is not serving you anymore; and 3) Fight for yourself - take one action. - Yung's actions led to her building a successful career, earning an MBA from NYU, and founding a movement to create opportunities and representation for adoptees and fosters. ![Screenshot at 00:01: The title card for the TEDx talk, "Unlocking A Curious Mind," visually represents the theme of overcoming barriers to intellectual freedom using imagery of a padlock and a key unlocking a brain.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/EVMoPvK_H_8/00-00-01.png) **Context:** Grace Yung delivers a TEDx talk titled "Unlocking A Curious Mind" at Montgomery College, sharing her deeply personal journey as an adoptee and former foster youth. She contrasts the statistical hardships faced by those who age out of foster care with her own successful outcome (CEO & Founder in 2025), emphasizing the importance of self-advocacy and creating intentional change to overcome limiting societal narratives. ## Detailed Analysis Grace Yung shares her story as an adoptee and former foster youth who spent time in South Korean orphanages before being adopted in 1998. She highlights the difficult statistics facing foster care alumni, such as lower educational attainment, homelessness risk (nearly 30% facing homelessness), mental health issues, and trouble with law enforcement (30%). She contrasts these statistics with her own achievements, including earning an MBA from NYU and becoming a CEO/founder by 2025. Yung reveals the results of a study showing that 46% of respondents felt invisible at work, only 10% found relevant career resources, and 92% desired a professional platform tailored to adoptees and fosters. She explains that her personal struggle involved internalizing narratives of worthlessness tied to her family story and being separated from her birth family. To combat this, she adopted three intentional actions: 1) Repeating the affirmation, 'I am valuable because I am a human being'; 2) Letting go of what no longer serves her; and 3) Fighting for herself by taking one proactive step. She concludes that by empowering herself through these actions, she was able to build the future she wanted and create a movement to support others in similar circumstances. ### Personal Background - Speaker is an adoptee and former foster youth from South Korea, adopted at age 8, who faced homelessness, economic hardship, and mental health challenges. ### Statistical Hardships - Foster care alumni face lower graduation rates, higher risk of homelessness (nearly 30%), and increased issues with mental health and law enforcement. ### Study Findings - Survey shows 46% felt invisible at work, 24% felt a lack of belonging, and 92% desire a professional platform for adoptees/fosters. ### Internal Struggle - Yung internalized limiting beliefs that her value was tied to her adoption/foster story, leading to feelings of helplessness and worthlessness. ### The Three Intentional Actions - 1. Value Yourself (Repeat affirmation) - 2. Let Go (Release unserving narratives) - 3. Fight (Take one action to build momentum). ### Resolution - By taking proactive steps and empowering herself, Yung built a successful career (MBA from NYU) and founded a movement to create opportunities for others in similar situations. ![Screenshot at 00:04: The opening graphic features a key unlocking a brain silhouette, symbolizing the talk's theme of 'Unlocking A Curious Mind' for Montgomery College.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/EVMoPvK_H_8/00-00-04.png) ![Screenshot at 00:25: The speaker, Grace Yung, begins her address by setting the context of her personal experience stemming from her time in foster care and adoption.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/EVMoPvK_H_8/00-00-25.png) ![Screenshot at 00:29: A split-screen slide appears, displaying Google search results for 'statistics on foster alumni' and 'statistics on adult adoptees,' visually backing up the challenges she cites.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/EVMoPvK_H_8/00-00-29.png) ![Screenshot at 06:25: A slide titled 'Study Responses' appears, detailing quantitative data from her research, including that 46% felt invisible and 92% wanted a professional platform.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/EVMoPvK_H_8/00-06-25.png) ![Screenshot at 13:18: A comparison slide shows a young photo labeled 'Orphan in 1988' next to a current photo labeled 'CEO & Founder in 2025,' illustrating her journey.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/EVMoPvK_H_8/00-13-18.png)