Angela Waseskuk
University of Northern Iowa, Art Instructor
My Family History
I was adopted from Seoul, South Korea when I was two years old. I don’t have any knowledge of my birth family, however, my adoptive parents were both raised in Iowa and are now retired. My mother was a bank teller and my father was a middle school and high school band director. My grandparents on my mother’s side were Iowa farmers who were still farming when I was young. My father’s father worked for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, however, my father’s parents had both passed before I was adopted. My father’s great-grandfather on his mother’s side came to the United States from Denmark and traveled across the country on the Mormon Trail before settling in southwest Iowa.
Living in Iowa
There is a strong sense of community throughout the state, whether you are in a small, rural town or a larger city. I have witnessed, and in some cases, been honored to work alongside amazing groups of people who have come together to build and strengthen our communities in a multitude of ways including to celebrate and move forward the arts and culture in Iowa, to fight inequality and economic disparities, to create brave spaces for our youth, and the list goes on. Daily, I am heartened by the tireless efforts of the Iowans I know, particularly in my community of Waterloo and Cedar Falls.
My Dreams
As an art teacher, I will keep sharing my experiences and knowledge with my students, but I also hope to always be open to learning from my students and my colleagues. I will do my part in instigating and continuing positive ripple effects throughout the local community and beyond. As a human being, I hope to continue to be inspired and amazed by both the most grandiose landscapes and the subtlest exchanges of affection with my partner, and everything in between. And someday, maybe, I will run a sanctuary for aging dogs.
A Teacher Who Changed My Life
Mr. Ben Hokomoto 5th grade teacher Valley Park Elementary
He was the first and only teacher of color I had until college. I didn’t realize at the time what it meant for me to see a person of color leading a classroom. There were many people and events that empowered me to lead through teaching, and having Mr. Hokomoto as an elementary school teacher was one of them.
My Favorite Thing
These wings were given to me by a former neighbor. They came from a Cedar Waxwing bird that had died in his yard. He couldn’t bring himself to get rid of them because they were too beautiful, so he kept them, thinking he would make something with them someday but never did. I have treasured them ever since, not making them into anything, but loving them as they are. As a transracial adoptee growing up in Iowa, the search for a sense of belonging has been challenging, but I have often found refuge in nature, outside of human hierarchies, where it is easier to understand my place in the ecosystems of plants and animals. My story as an Iowan began on the wings of a different kind of bird, but, nonetheless, I flew, and that is when my life’s narrative began to find direction.
What #DIVERSITYISOURSTRENGTH means to me
It is a goal and a promise that requires each of us to not only value diversity in our communities but actively champion difference in all aspects of humanity including race, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, religious beliefs, etc. We must make the promise to each other that we will do our part to fight against all acts of discrimination and resist homogenization.
