Editor’s Note:  The following interview was done by Marjorie Stoneman on behalf of Whitewater Unites Lives (WUL).

Kyong was born in Uljin in the Kyung-Buk Province of South Korea, a small town like Whitewater, where everyone knew everyone. 

Her older sister came to the United States in 1982 to open a grocery store and then later run a hotel in Washington State.  Kyong was seven at the time.  In 1990, her sister sponsored their mom to come to the U.S., and then her mom was able to get her green card and sponsor Kyong just before Kyong turned 21.  In the interview at the American Embassy in South Korea, the Korean American agent who interviewed her wanted to make sure Kyong’s mom could support herself and Kyong financially.

 “I understood that because I felt that if you come to the U.S., you should be able to support yourself and not expect a free ride,” said Kyong.

For two years, Kyong lived by herself in South Korea – both her sister and her mom were in the U.S.  During that time, she attended the English Institute to learn English in preparation for her move to the U.S.

Kyong received her green card one month after arriving. She spent her time learning to drive and working at her sister’s grocery store. She later attended the local community college to learn more English. She was able to take her general education requirements so that she could attend Washington State University.

When she became a U.S. citizen in 1997, she was required to give up her South Korean citizenship.  While it was difficult to give up citizenship in her homeland, it was imperative to Kyong that she do so.  She needed to be able to vote and make her voice heard, so becoming a U.S. Citizen was crucial.

She lived in the dorms on campus at Washington State University and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Apparel Merchandising and Textile with a minor in Business. 

 “I knew I had to study and work hard to get an education.  My mother moved to the U.S. at age 60 so I could get an education,” said Kyong.  She knew how important the education was for her mom and how much she sacrificed to support her.

Sleeping only a few hours each night, Kyong attended school and worked at a fast-food restaurant and dining halls.

Kyong’s advisor recommended that Kyong continue on to graduate school for her degree.  She was a teaching assistant and taught four classes as an instructor while earning her Master’s Degree in Apparel Merchandising and Textiles.

Kyong met her husband, Praveen Parboteeah, at the university, and they married during her senior year.  At the same time, Praveen was in the process of earning his PhD in Business. 

Kyong’s first job after graduation was at a department store in Moscow, Idaho. There, she was in charge of 50 staff, many of whom had worked there for 20 or more years, making it challenging for a young leader. 

Once Praveen was hired at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Kyong could stay home with their daughter and work as a freelancer, writing instructor manuals for International Business, International Management, and Business Ethics textbooks. 

Kyong’s move to Whitewater was a shock. “I had more cultural shock from the move to Whitewater from Washington than I did with the move from South Korea to Washington.”  She said everyone knew everyone, so it was hard to integrate and make friends at first.

But Kyong and Praveen eventually made lifelong friends in Whitewater.  “Whitewater is a great place to raise kids.  It is safe, and everyone knows everyone is not a bad thing when you are raising kids,” she said.

Twenty-five years later, Kyong and Praveen still live in Whitewater and have raised two children.  Alisha graduated from UW-Madison, and Davin is currently attending.

 “The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has treated Praveen well, and our family has thrived here,” said Kyong.

After the instructor-manual job ended, Kyong pondered pursuing a PhD, but one of her friends, Sara Coleman, who is also a teacher at the public school in Whitewater, asked her to consider being a substitute teacher.  Kyong then earned her license and was a substitute teacher for five years, helping to fill an important need in the schools.

By then, Kyong had a good grasp of the public school system in the U.S., which is very different from that in South Korea. In South Korea, the goal of Korean-based learning was primarily memorizing for test-taking. Kyong prefers the U.S. version of public schools, where the focus is more on learning and student growth than memorizing. 

During her five years as a substitute teacher, she felt she could better help and support students as a full-time teacher. Most importantly, she saw a need for a minority teacher, so she earned her second Master’s in Business Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2021 and has taught Business Education at Badger High School in Lake Geneva ever since.

At Badger High School, she is known for her high standards and tough classes, but students know she provides continuous support and is there for them.

Although it is a tough profession, teaching at high school, Kyong feels very rewarded when students show their appreciation by stopping by and sending her cards and emails, especially from her former students. She shared one of the emails that she got from her former students. He credits Kyong with his success.  He wrote in the email, “I’m currently attending Gateway, and I’m pursuing an associate’s degree in Business management. You are part of why I felt confident enough to attend college and pursue this degree. I also just finished my first semester with As and Bs, which I never thought I’d be capable of achieving. Without your encouragement and support, I never thought I would be good enough to go to college.” Kyong also said he was the first in his family to attend college.

She is also an advisor for the DECA, a business organization that prepares student leaders and entrepreneurs for marketing, finance, hospitality, and management careers.  She recently won the Red Apple Award for her excellence in advising.  A Badger High School site said, “This (Red Apple Award) is given to advisors who have gone above and beyond in their dedication to students at the local level.”

Determination, hard work, and perseverance drove Kyong to success, and she continues to pass those qualities on to her students.