
and energy to change the world.
young people have the creativity, fire
and energy to change the world.
WHY DKF
Our Mission
Dragon Manifesto
Be more than a leader, be a dragon.
The world underestimates young people. We’re here to change that.
A DRAGON…
- knows life is a gift and lives it to the fullest
- believes life is what he makes it, and makes it amazing
- works hard to achieve what doesn’t come naturally to her
- perseveres through adversity – even tragedy – to lift up others
- is quick to offer a hand and unafraid to ask for help
- inspires others to find the fire in their belly
- leads with head and heart
- empowers other dragons
What if every person in the world lived like a dragon?
What if we helped everyone discover their inner dragon?
Together we can.
Welcome to the Dragon Kim Foundation. Mentor a dragon. Empower a dragon. Become a dragon.
Join the family.
“His spirit continues to fly over us, keeping us under his big wings.”
Why are We Different
- Our Fellowship Program
- A 3-in-1 experience: Our Fellows receive weekly mentoring, business training, and seed funding to launch their vision!
- Our program is 100% tuition free, and we work rigorously every year to recruit students from marginalized or low-income communities.
- Our Music Program
- Teaching the Art of Teaching: Our Music Student Teachers have the opportunity to receive feedback and mentoring from credentialed Master Teachers. They build lessons plans, are observed during their classes, and have time to review their progress weekly.
- Our program is 100% tuition free, including lending out free instruments and music supplies for every student to use at home.
Our Team
Staff
Daniel Kim
Co-founder & Chairman of the Board

Daniel has 25 years of experience in Global Capital Markets, Investment Banking & Private Equity, in New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Los Angeles. He is currently running a private equity fund focused on private lower middle market companies and corporate restructurings. Daniel also has extensive nonprofit experience, having served on the Board for the Koreatown Youth and Community Center for over ten years, having founded the OC Heat Volleyball Club, and as co-founder of the Dragon Kim Foundation.
Amber Serafin
Fellowship Program Manager

Amber Serafin is passionate about journeying with teens and supporting them in becoming the best version of themselves. She has experience in multiple domains holding past titles in Youth Ministry at Central Church, Applied Behavior Analyst with Nevada Early Intervention and 4 years working within the CCSD Autism Kids Program. Her passion lies within being in service to others and inspiring them to do the same.
Roger Dupuy
Program Manager

“I am an educator who draws…” Roger Dupuy has been teaching and training teachers for the last 23 years for all educational stages (K-12, university) in life. He enjoys the challenge of designing content delivery solutions for any context. He’s done this with training programs, books, mentorship, workshops over piles of cups of coffee. Currently, Roger is contributing to the fabulous team at the Dragon Kim Foundation. In his free time he enjoys the narrative arts, tabletop RPGs, photography and travel.
Angela DeCuir
Business Development

Lisa Halm
Finance Manager

Lisa Halm is happy to join the finance department of Dragon Kim Foundation. Lisa received her BS degree from the University of Southern California in Accounting. She later earned her MBA in business administration from Pepperdine University. Prior employment experience includes real estate, clinical trials, construction and non-profit. Lisa resides in Irvine, California with her two boys. She is busy with her boy’s activities including year- round basketball and volunteering with the Boy Scouts. Her interests include playing guitar and learning Italian. Lisa loves USC football and traveling. She has traveled as far as Czechoslovakia and lived in Japan.
Maliyah Mason
Administrative Assistant

Maliyah spent her teen years playing French Horn for her high school symphonic orchestra, and marching band, before becoming Drum Major her senior year. At CSU Long Beach, she shifted her creative interests to writing and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Screenwriting. In 2017, she was crowned "Miss Compton," where she used her platform to expose students to classical music. This experience fostered her connection with kids and teens, leading to several years working as an English Comprehension and Writing tutor. She's eager to further engage in youth development while using her writing to connect with others and express her ideas to the world
Board of Directors
Grace Tsai
Co-Founder & Board Member

Grace Tsai is a marketing professional with over 15 years of experience managing consumer-focused brands such as Yahoo!, ConAgra Foods, and Botox Cosmetic. Aside from serving as Executive Director of the Dragon Kim Foundation, Grace utilizes her marketing expertise to promote the organization and establish relationships with funders, volunteers, and supporters.
We are thankful for our diverse team of executive board members that bring their dedication, expertise, and commitment to our mission and help us make the most impact on the amazing youth coming through our programs.
Thao Ngo
Treasurer

Thao Ngo is a finance and accounting professional with expertise and background in Fortune 500 companies and leading non-profit organizations. Thao joined our Board in 2016 and currently serves as the Treasurer for the Dragon Kim Foundation and manages all Foundation finances and serves on the Concert Committee.
Stacy Handley
Secretary

Stacy Handley has over 25 years of experience in Human Resources. She has had the privilege to work within several different industries during that time and enjoys working with great people and teams to help make a difference. She joined our Board in 2016 and advises with Human Resources strategies.
Bonnie Carlson
Board Member

Bonnie Carlson is the retired President and CEO of the Brand Activation Assocation (BAA). Bonnie’s career includes executive positions in four global consumer package goods companies, including General Foods, Unilever, Nestle, and ConAgra Foods. Bonnie has served on the Dragon Kim Foundation Board since 2016 and advises the organization on marketing and public relations.
Teren Shaffer
Board Member

Teren Shaffer currently serves as the President & CEO of Orange County School of the Arts and the California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley. Teren is also highly lauded as an arts manager, music educator, and conductor. Teren joined our Board in 2016 and oversees the Dragon Kim Foundation Music Program.
Kerri Sonenshine
Board Member

Kerri Sonenshine has built a career in Brand Management and Product Management, and now serves on the Executive Board of several nonprofits, including Human Options and the Dragon Kim Foundation. She has served the Dragon Kim Foundation since 2015 on the Fellowship Committee, the Concert Committee, and Co-Chairing Dragon Challenge Committee.
Bill Tate
Board Member

Bill Tate is a partner at Bryan Cave, LLC. Bill's career includes Partner positions at both Bryan Cave and Morrison Forrester, in their real estate law practice. Bill has served as a legal advisor for the Dragon Kim Foundation since 2015.
Helen Yi
Board Member

Helen Yi is a real estate professional with over 20 years of experience in corporate real estate, commercial and land development, asset management, and affordable housing. Helen joined our Board in 2015 and has served on the Concert Committee, the Fellowship Committee, and in a development capacity.
Interns
Rafael Garnica
CA Fellowship Intern

Rafael Garnica is a student attending Santa Ana College, looking to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. With his pursuit of a higher education and a knack for working with machines, he joined the DKF-5 cohort as a co-founder of Project IYRE which gave the youth of his community the chance to learn about and experience the world of Robotics and Engineering. Rafael values his free time but to avoid the stresses of planning he likes to indulge the whim and see where it takes him.
Riley Yew
CA Fellowship Intern

Riley Yew is a current senior at Los Alamitos High School. She was a part of DKF 5 with her project Cosmetic Chem for Kids which showed underserved youth the side of chemistry that is interesting and applicable to everyday life while allowing an outlet of self expression at home. Overall, Riley truly values helping her community in any way she can. Whenever she has free time, Riley spends it either dancing or learning new hobbies such as guitar, crafting, journaling etc. She loves listening to music, reading books, and creating valuable memories with the people around her. This will be her second year as a fellowship intern.
Fatima Oregon
Social Media Intern

Fatima Oregon is a student at Cerritos College, passionate about serving the community. As a Chicana student, she shares her love for her culture and roots through the medium of Ballet Folklorico. Putting her Folklorico talents to good use, Fatima was a part of the DKF-5 cohort as a co-founder of Project Sembrando Dahlias; a Mexican-Folk dance program aiming to spread cultural awareness and pride among underrepresented youth. Fatima values her downtime, spending it reading fiction and biographical books, spending time with her wiener dog T-Boe, and discovering new music!
Joshua Ta
CA Fellowship Intern

Joshua Ta is a current junior at Orange County School of the Arts and intern at the Dragon Kim Foundation. He is passionate about computer science, building computers, and playing music. Joshua was part of the DKF-6 cohort, where he co-founded Coding Campers, a project built towards exposing underserved communities to computer science and video game design. When Joshua has extra time, he enjoys cooking new cuisine and playing video games.
Allegrah S
CA Fellowship Intern

Allegrah is currently a Senior at Costa Mesa High school. She was a fellow for DKF-6 Dragon Warriors and her project was called Helping Hands. She and her project team assisted the homeless community in providing clothing and hygiene supplies as well as hosting various art expression activities. Some of her favorite hobbies include going to concerts, reading philosophical novels, and rollerskating!
Robert Barsel
NVAZ Fellowship Intern

Rob Barsel is a 17-year-old junior at the Meadows School whose passion to help children understand mental health began at 5-years-old when his father passed away suddenly. Having run peer support groups in Las Vegas for 5 years and wanting to reach more kids, Rob joined DKF-6 to write a book and have it professionally illustrated to help children 12-18 learn how to approach their Mental Health and healthy coping skills. In his free time Rob likes to cook, read comics, and learn cardistry.
FOUNDER’S STORY
In August 2015, while we were on a family camping trip in Yosemite, a massive tree branch fell on the tent in which our beloved son, Dragon Kim, and his dear friend, Justin Lee, were sleeping. Dragon and Justin were instantly killed.
They say grief is love with nowhere to go. Our love for Dragon needed somewhere to land. We established The Dragon Kim Foundation in Dragon’s honor to carry on his love of life, to make it possible for other young people to pursue their passions, and to help give others access to a bright future.
Dragon loved many things — math, his dogs, hanging out with friends, guacamole. But most of all, Dragon loved music. As a freshman at the Orange County School of the Arts, Dragon and a few friends had gathered to discuss how they could provide musical instruments and instruction to underserved kids in Santa Ana, where their school is located. So as the first project of The Dragon Kim Foundation, we started a music program to bring Dragon’s dream of helping kids learn and love music to life.
More importantly, we had always told our children that it was their job to find what they love to do. But we realized that not all children have those opportunities, so the mission of the Foundation has been to give children, regardless of socio-economic background, those important opportunities to pursue what they enjoy, and in the process, make positive changes in their communities.
Dragon was our shining star — bright, warm, generous, and always beaming. He cared deeply not only for family but for his friends and for those around him. He had a talent for teaching young kids. We believe that this is some of the work he would have pursued, and that the best way to keep his spirit alive is through supporting the achievements of others. Please join us in this journey to give our youth more opportunities to pursue what they are passionate about.
Dragon, we love you so much. Thank you for bringing laughter, love, and music to our lives. You are our precious son, and you will live on in our hearts and in the work of the Dragon Kim Foundation.
With Much Love,
Grace and Daniel Kim
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