James Rhee, the author of the bestselling book “Red Helicopter,” addressed the significance of agency to the school. He discussed his identity as a Korean American raised by immigrant parents, exploring its influence on his decision to leave private equity to become the CEO of a black women’s law firm. His choice embodied agency—a term that is as undefinable as the Korean word jeong—he explained both in-person and in his book.
He visited both the middle school and the high school on Sept. 29, marking his second visit to SIS. Introducing himself with his various accomplishments—which included a diploma from Harvard, various fellowships, and a degree from law school—he sought to demonstrate that while such accolades are valuable, one’s agency over them is much more significant. Like a helicopter, one must retain control over their trajectory in life and the ability to “hover,” rather than following a fixed path.
“His ideas mainly focus on kindness, resilience, and a redefinition of success,” Kevin Kim (11), student host of the author visit, said. “Many times we are so focused on grades or what extra-curricular activities we have, but it is important to equally consider the relationships with others and the idea of goodwill. He also tells us to be resilient for the things we enjoy or value. This includes ideas of cultural identity, but most importantly also to explain how setbacks or failures are okay and expected. Taking them and making the most out of them it’s important.”
Further exploring the meaning of agency, he recounted a story from his childhood of how he received a red helicopter toy from his friend’s father after having shared his lunch with the friend, who hadn’t brought his own lunch, throughout the year. Despite the simplicity of the problem, he pointed out that this process of identifying a problem and working to resolve it without expecting anything in return is the essence of agency.
Mr. Rhee concluded his visit by answering questions from the audience. Hovering does not equate to constantly rebelling against the system, he responded to one of the inquiries. Rather than a fish constantly swimming against the current, he explained, one should strive to be a fish with the agency to occasionally jump out of the water.
