Esther (she/hers) is a queer, second-generation Korean American, cisgender woman who resides on the ancestral lands of the Massachusett and Pawtucket people, also known as Somerville, MA. During her senior year of college, Esther wrote her family oral history to explore how immigration, colonialism, oppression, and trauma have shaped the relational dynamics between her first-generation Korean immigrant family members and self. This personal journey has led Esther to continuously seek out ways to break silences, contextualize lived experiences, and build compassionate connections and communities wherever she goes. These motivations have also led Esther to work across a wide breadth of roles and settings, including K-12 and higher education, mental health counseling, and local and state-level community engagement.

Esther particularly enjoys working with BIPOC individuals, and has extensive experience supporting Asian American individuals in counseling, education, and community settings. She is an LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist and prioritizes centering her clients’ self-determination and autonomy in the therapeutic relationship.

Outside of her current work in telehealth startup and community mental health spaces, Esther enjoys creative nonfiction writing, photography, cooking for loved ones, and taking naps.