Living Mosaic
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Michael Kusz Han
Michael Kusz Han lives in Renton Washington, just south of Seattle, where he is a part of the University Unitarian Church youth group. Although currently not formally involved in the Unitarian Universalist Association, he recently finished a two year term as FUNTIMES Manager for the General Assembly Youth Caucus where he was able to share with others his passion for the governance of the association.
Michael has been a UU since birth. His early life was greatly influenced by the kindness and caring he found at church. Unitarian Universalism continued to be an important factor in Michael’s life through his move to Washington shortly before his 12th birthday. As a newcomer to the Seattle area, Michael knew nobody, but his church helped him to become settled in a new place.
Eighth grade solidified Michael’s UU faith. He began the year by participating in the Our Whole Lives sexuality curriculum, followed by Coming of Age. All of this cumulated in the St. Louis General Assembly, Michael’s first GA. It was his first glimpse of the UU world beyond his own congregation. He returned to GA the following year in Portland, where he was elected to the position of FUNTIMES Manager, a position that allowed him to help create the community he loved. The next year, amid the restructuring of YRUU, he became a member of the Youth Ministry Working Group and helped to re-envision youth programming.
Racial identity has always been a struggle for Michael. Although he identifies as biracial, he is often asked to “check one box”, a policy he finds outdated and insensitive. He contemplates what it means to be Asian, but to pass as white, especially since nothing except his eyes seemed to show he was Asian. Earlier this year, Michael and the rest of his family changed their names from Kusz to Han, as a way of claiming their Corean heritage.
Michael is currently studying to be a Mechanical engineer at Highline College. He also works as the lead math tutor at Highline. In his spare time, Michael builds things, like self-defogging laboratory goggles.
