MEET THE TEAM
samantha joo
founder & executive director
Samantha Joo is an independent academic and business entrepreneur who has a passion for social justice. She has worked at a number of universities and seminaries, including Seoul Women’s University. While teaching most of her life as a tutor, teacher, and professor, she also has vast experience in the hospitality industry. As a child of immigrant parents who believed in running their own business, she has operated and managed a motel and hotel for them. During her spare time, she has pursued her passion to serve the marginalized. She is the founder of Queer Koreans Alliance which jumpstarted Dding Dong, a queer teen safe space in Seoul, and this organization, Platform. She is most happy hiking with her two rambunctious dogs, Kimchi and Benji.
PAULINE SOHEE KIM
COORDINATOR OF events and marketing
Pauline Kim is a recent graduate with a double-major in Psychology and Communications. She is presently working part-time in design as a Home Stylist on developing her interest in environmental psychology and feng-shui. She spends her other time investing into projects and hobbies that allows her to connect with people. She believes in making a mark in the lives of people in her community and to make a difference in society. As a Korean-American woman, she wants to play a role in the API community to help other Asian women and those that are marginalized through some of the struggles she has has faced growing up. Pauline enjoys learning and growing her interest in marketing/branding and embodies the youthful ideas for our team.
Manuela Rodríguez
marketing coordinator
Manuela Rodríguez is a freelancer with a major in International Relations, committed to woman empowerment and intersectional feminism. She has carried on an investigation about the protection of refugees and their rights in South America. Additionally, she has collaborated with different non-profits like RACI (Argentine Network for International Cooperation) and the Littleton Immigrant Resources Center (LIRC) in Colorado, which helps immigrants connect to community services, learn English, and apply for U.S. citizenship. Previously, Manuela was the director of the International Committee of a Rotaract club (a program by Rotary International) and worked at an Embassy in Buenos Aires assisting the diplomats with Spanish and English. Most recently, she has worked with feminist journalists translating interviews in the US-Mexico border to spread the story of dozens of women who flee from domestic violence. She spends her free time painting and going to trivias.