The Casey Lartigue Show!

On February 2nd from 2-3 a.m. (Korea time), I was the featured speaker at an "Author Spotlight" by the Harvard Division of Continuing Education (DCE) and the Harvard Extension Alumni Association (HEAA) .  Watch, like, share, and comment.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmRgP3q7rQg&list=PLn7xtnmarHFq6kVvq3PxOgC8nwjn8ioBO  * * *  I will be in the USA for two weeks in March, I will kick off the trip with a speech on the campus of the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HSGE) for its annual Alumni of Color Conference (AOCC). It will be a bit of a homecoming reunion, I was one of the speakers at the first HGSE AOCC in 2003.  Stay tuned, this will be preparation for a larger event later this year. Thanks to everyone who has helped make FSI's work possible. ( Stripe ) ( PayPal ).

  Today was one of those incredible days that I will always remember. North Korean refugee Songmi Han, South Korean co-founder of FSI Eunkoo Lee and I (the Texan-American co-founder of FSI) spent 7 hours together at three different incredible events in three different parts of Seoul. We were laughing and joking almost the entire time. * 10 am book talk We started the day with a small group discussion with a family visiting from the USA. It was great for Songmi because the family was happy to hear from her. She didn’t have the pressure to make a formal speech. As the old saying goes, “If I had more time I would have written a shorter letter.” It is similar with public speaking. If I am invited to give a one hour speech, then I’m ready right now. If I get a request for a five minute speech as part of a panel then I need some time to figure out how to put that hour of content into five minutes. With no notes, Songmi told her story in great detail. The family members had not read her b...

  On December 1, 2019, I joined the Harvard Club of Korea's annual alumni dinner. Of course, no one in the room knew that the event would be canceled for the next two years because of COVID. Last night we enjoyed gathering again, with about 90 Harvard alumni and their guests meeting, talking, and networking. My special guest in 2019 was North Korean refugee Songmi Han . When she joined then she had not heard of Harvard University.  I didn't realize just how special that night was for Songmi until we worked together on what became Greenlight to Freedom .  This time, she knew what it was and was looking forward to it. * * * Mr. Dr. Prof and now Foreign Minister Jin Park was there as a special guest. He is a former president of the Harvard Club and is a special VIP every year. He gave a short speech and also the toast for the event. He gave the most incredible testimonial about me last year . He also remembered Songmi from meeting her earlier this year when she gave him a si...

  I was invited by the Harvard Graduate School of Education to give a speech and engage in discussion with students interested in having careers in non-profits. I informed HGSE that my co-author could join me. They loved the idea. The speech was special for two main reasons. 1) It was on October 3rd. That's the date Songmi Han was released into freedom after arriving in South Korea. 2) She only recently learned about Harvard University. Three years ago, she didn't know about the existence of Harvard University. On her Freedom Day, she was speaking at Harvard University. Here's an excerpt from Greenlight to Freedom: " A North Korean refugee learns about Harvard ."