Standing out among the many

Standing Out

Among The Many

Every person has at least one story. Every story can inspire at least one person

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Photos SONG HYUN JU

Angelina

Danilova

MODEL

@angelinadanilova

The ideals of physical beauty are different in each country; but undoubtedly, the things that define inner beauty can cross any border.

Angelina Danilova shot to fame thanks to a photo on her social media that went viral, but she maintains her position with grace. She is motivated by music, people, photography and nature; things we all can find inspiration from, but says she keeps going when she can see how her friends and followers respond to the things she creates.

Perhaps the most striking quality of Angelina, though she has many, is how simple and down to earth she is. Like she told me, “I always want to stay true to myself. I’m not creating these high walls with people. I don’t even like to use the word ‘fan.’ We are all just friends, and we’re chilling, having fun together.” Angelina, I said, smiling in response, I have the feeling you and I will get along very well.

Find her music on Soundcloud at her account “Angelina Danilova” and see some of her photography work on her other Instagram @freesoulfilms. - BW

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Dana

Shauyenova

MODEL

@dana.malik_

Dana has a special place in my heart. We met while filming Supermodel 2018 Survival on SBS a few months ago and both connected over a similar mindset towards the entertainment world.

From there, we have shared many experiences and grown only closer. She is someone I have felt to be a personal influence to me, someone who is a genuine supporter and friend. She took her time answering my questions about who she is and what she believes in because she takes it very seriously.

Dana is from Kazakhstan and brings to Korea a new perspective on beauty and passion. I asked her, “Where do you foresee yourself five years from now?” Thoughtfully, she replied, “From one side, you may think that five years is not so far, however on the different side, in that period you can do many things and life can totally change in one blink of an eye. Turning back, I see how much my life has changed in five years. So I can only hope that in the next five years, I can reach another set of my dreams. Life is so unpredictable, but the only thing I know is that my way of always moving forward will not change.”

Though the world and society might tell you what is the correct or only way to be successful, Dana works hard to break free from those binds and continues to chase her dreams and passions, and certainly inspires me to do the same. - BW

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Joel ROBERTS

ACTOR

@joelxroberts

I have a personal affinity for well-dressed men. Joel Roberts may have finally broken my unconscious stereotype about unfashionable, nerdy ping-pong players.

He came to Korea in 2012 for the Korea Open, representing U.S. for table tennis, and fell in love with this country. Since then, he’s come a far way from ping-pong into the acting world. Our first meeting was on set for a commercial a few years back, and he has always remained in my head as simply cool and comfortable. Meeting once again in the studio for the Groove shoot, I find my first impression was accurate, and the only change is that Joel has now become more well-known in Korea, partly for those qualities I had liked so much about him.

Five years ago when he started off as a model in Korea, he was turned down again and again; black models were just not what the people wanted. However, his steady patience seems to have made a dent; in this year alone Joel has made his biggest breakthroughs so far and now he has supporting roles in two Korean dramas and the lead role in the Korean spinoff of the Netflix hit “Stranger Things.” It seems fitting that Joel should be in the offshoot; people have viewed his dreams as crazy and unbelievable before.

“Do you see yourself as part of this mindset change towards black models and actors in Korea?” I asked. With a half-smile, Joel replied, “Absolutely.” I’m looking forward to see where you’ll go next, Mr. Roberts. -BW

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atthew

NOWICZ

MODEL, ENTERTAINER

@koreanmuffin

Matthew is quite tall. As a model, that is a necessity for him, of course, but his real appearance seems at odds with his rather shy personality. In photographs, his eyes are focused and holds energy, yet meeting with Matthew I was struck by his soft voice and cherubic features.

Matthew came from Poland to Korea when he was 16 years old and it seems that was a good move for him. In his words, “I liked the food and the culture really suited me from the first visit. People are really nice and always took care of me well! I love that there are so many things to do and many places to go, such as cafes, escape rooms, theme parks, the riverside, etc.”

It is nice to see that Korea has been welcoming to those from other countries. As Matthew told me, “there will always be people who know less or more, so we can always share and learn from each other.”

It seems Korea and Matthew have been learning new things from each other already, and we hope that will continue. -BW

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36Amy

ALEHA

TV ACTRESS, ENTERTAINER

@amyaleha

The thing that struck me the most when interviewing Amy was her warm and sincere smile that won me over from our first handshake. She started telling me the story about how she first came to Korea around 2004, a time when things like Facebook or video calling - now part of the daily norm - where instead phone cards and letters to her family and loved ones.

Brave, positive, and full of expectation, she arrived with a mind as open as her heart. Ready to go along with whatever the future might have for her. The K-wave might have been far from a reality at that time, but she seemed to have a connection with Korea that she calls the “K-butterflies”. It’s that feeling she got in her stomach when she first landed in Korea, a hunch that seemed to be letting her know she had arrived exactly where she should be.

From there onwards, she decided to follow her instincts and accept things as they came, being brave enough to do even those things that scared her.

“Sometimes I cried, but I did them anyway,” she said. Challenging herself to do her best, her braveness brought her to now, but when asked about the future, she stays real and humble. In her opinion, she is far from done growing.

“There is always room to grow and discover who you are because who you are and will be, does not have an answer, it is a lifelong question.” -LJ

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Hugh

&

Nichola and Hugh Kwon have a beautiful marriage and are a family that wants to create a positive movement through example. They are loving and dedicated not only to each other and their infant son, but also others. This power couple does not want to “just” change people’s minds towards multicultural families. They aspire to give and challenge much, much more.

Reaching out to society through their comics, books, and YouTube channel, they create and share content not only in hopes of bringing another perspective into people’s realities. They try to bring new inspiration, new strengths, and a newfound confidence to anyone that might be missing that small push needed to believe in themselves or to fight for what they want.

Nichola and Hugh want to help others achieve their dreams, give a voice to those who might not be easily heard, and set new societal standards that we are all able to understand, as well as help us share our different realities, independently of where any of us come from.

You might come from another country, a rural area, a household with limited resources, a different kind of family… but no matter what it might be, they are pushing for all of us to understand that we are worthy and able to achieve our dreams, no matter how many times we might have been told that we will never make it. -LJ

Nicola

GWON

YOUTUBERS, COMIC BOOK WRITER

@mykoreanhusband

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Nalu

SANTANA

YOUTUBER

@nalusaram

When asked what makes her channel special, Nala Santana’s answer, “There is only one Nalu,” might seem overly brave to many. But, in fact, the YouTuber with over a million subscribers had a very valid point that I could not but agree with.

Especially as she further explained: “There are a lot of creators, but there are never two people that create the same, because their personalities are different, so at the end of the day it is that creator what makes the experience so special, the same way that we are all special and irreplaceable in our daily life.”

With that, Nalu wants everybody to know that we all have something to bring to the table, even when the table seems quite crowded. There is no one that can bring exactly what you have because we are all our unique selves. She encourages others to push the boundaries because at the end of the day boundaries are there to be challenged.

Thankful for her path and mentioning how much she has grown along with her channel and viewers, she believes that she is still learning daily and has a lot of things she wants to do as she aspires to work harder for her followers, to bring them better content every day. -LJ

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Robin

DEIANA

MODEL, ACTOR

@robindeiana

At some point in between dancing, learning the culture, and his desire to find a more exciting and fast-paced lifestyle away from his hometown, Robin Deiana developed an interest for Korea that made him say “au revoir” to France and move across the world, chasing his dreams. It has now been 10 years and he still has a spark on his eyes while speaking about his life in Korea and how much he has yet to discover.

He loves how acting allows him to be a different person and even discover parts of himself he did not know he had. Acting dissipates his shyness while giving him a wider perspective to understand many situations. Acting allows him to put himself more easily in others’ shoes.

Now, Robin is not only extremely dedicated to working hard and learning all he can from his extremely talented “sunbaes,” he really wants to set a new example by breaking barriers and standards not only in the entertainment world but in society.

He wants to motivate others and prove that foreigners can also act outside the regular “foreigner” role. Even when it might be harder to learn the lines and intonation in a different language, he is willing to put whatever effort and work is needed to make it happen. He hopes this will be a source of inspiration for others to fight in their fields as well. -LJ

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