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Washington, D.C. Beat the Odds® Awards Luncheon 2008
May 19, 2008 - May 19, 2008CDF honored five Washington, D.C., area upcoming high school seniors who have overcome tremendous adversity to demonstrate academic excellence and give back to their communities during the 2008 Beat the Odds Awards Luncheon. Actress and comedienne Ali Wentworth and ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos hosted the event. More Information
Jin Shin
Jin is a survivor. As a child, she was forced to watch helplessly as her mother endured physical and psychological abuse at the hands of her own father. At the age of 14, Jin managed to find a temporary escape from her volatile home environment when she was chosen as a finalist in "Superstar Survival," a Korean television program similar in format to our own "American Idol," but featuring a wide array of talents including singing, dancing and performing. Through hard work and determination, Jin made it to the final five, only to learn that her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She made the painful decision to drop out of "Superstar Survival" so she could return to America where her father and brother had left her mother to struggle with her disease in solitude.
Jin willingly sacrificed her teenage years in order to care for and support her mother by working multiple jobs, but a strong interest in the creative arts, coupled with an unshakable faith and an active role in her local church, have sustained her. Jin hopes to use the lessons she has learned throughout her life to write her own story and inspire other youth to persevere through difficult conditions. And she is certain that it will end with "...and they lived happily ever after."
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