A world-renowned dental authority who served as the longest-serving dean of UCLA School of Dentistry.
The autobiography of Park No-hee, the first Asian dean of UCLA's School of Dentistry!

Dr. Nohee Park, the first Asian to be appointed dean of a major dental school in the United States and the longest-serving dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry for 18 years, is a world-renowned authority and scholar in the field of viral disease and oral cancer treatment.
He studied at Seoul National University, the Medical College of Georgia, Harvard University, and UCLA, and is a scientist who has published over 220 research papers in scientific journals.


He has served as an inspiring mentor to over 100 students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scholars over a 40-year period, and has received hundreds of awards and recognitions, including the Distinguished Scientist Award, often called the Nobel Prize of dentistry, from the International Association for Dental Research, the Guys Achievement Award in Dental Educator, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Distinguished Leadership Award from the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Head and Neck Research.
In Korea, he has also received awards such as ‘Republic of Korea’s Contributor to Science and Technology’, ‘Science and Technology Honor Award’, ‘Proud Seoul National University Student of the Year’, and ‘KBS Overseas Compatriot Award - Natural Science Category’.


This book is the Korean version of Dr. Park No-hee's first autobiography ('Turning Points: Moments That Shaped Me'), which was recently published in English in the United States. It calmly unravels the trajectory of her life, focusing on the moments that changed the direction of her life rather than her career as a dean, professor, or researcher.
As the author says, “It is a tribute to all those who have overcome suffering and risen again,” his autobiography, which shows the journey of life as an “individual” rather than telling the success story of a “scholar,” is also a testament to the strength of the human spirit.


This story begins with the recollections of a child in a small village in Danyang who felt the great pain of walking on a thorny path just to utter a single word.
From his childhood, when he was caught up in the vortex of war just three months after entering elementary school, and felt infinitely small before the word poverty, to his school days, and then to his journey to the United States alone, overcoming the language barrier, to becoming the author he is today, he has faithfully captured the arduous journey he has taken, sometimes resolutely, sometimes calmly and honestly.


The author, who has learned through his life's journey that "growth is possible even in the deepest despair, and life can still be brilliant even in the most severe trials," says that we all walk our own paths, but how we walk those paths is up to us.

I was born in a small rural village in Korea.
And soon after, the country was caught up in the maelstrom of the great tragedy called war.
The war robbed me of a normal childhood and placed on my shoulders the burden of a speech impediment and responsibilities that were too early.
Every day was a fight for survival.

--- p.8

The journey to America that followed was another beginning.
A strange land, a strange language, a strange culture.
But what was most unfamiliar was the constant, blossoming doubts about myself.

"Am I worthy? Can I survive here?"
--- p.9

Stuttering is a deeper pain than you might think.
There were many times when saying a single word that would come out of someone else's mouth without a second thought felt like walking on a thorny path to me.

--- p.28

The war devoured everything.
The warm classroom, the laughter of my friends, even the lunchbox my mother packed for me - everything disappeared in an instant.
In an instant, ordinary daily life was filled with fear and anxiety.

--- p.36

People live their lives telling lies every day.
Me too.
The dictionary definition of a lie is to present something that is not true as if it were true.
People lie to deceive others, to deceive themselves, or to deceive both.
Lies have colors and temperatures.

--- p.63

It's a language disorder.
Stuttering followed me like a shadow.
Korean language class in particular was a moment of terror.
When the teacher had the students take turns reading from the book, I prayed fervently every time I turned a page.
Please don't let it be my turn this time.
But, as expected, my name was called.
And at that moment, I was frozen and couldn't open my mouth.

--- p.45

Surprisingly, before my father passed away, he left behind a final consideration for me.
As I found out later through my family, my father didn't want me to come to the funeral.
They were worried that it would be a huge shock to me and that I would give up my studies out of responsibility to support my mother and siblings.

--- p.82

So, I was the first to focus on expanding the scholarship program at UCLA.
I couldn't turn away from students who had the ability but missed opportunities because they didn't have money.
It was not just a policy, it was a mission my life had given me.

--- p.87

After much thought, I came to a realization.
The problem was not simply physical conditions.
The difference lay in psychological conditions.
The rats trapped inside us had to endure not only the cold, but also the stress of being deprived of their freedom.
On the other hand, the escaped rats had the right to move and explore freely, although they faced greater uncertainty and risk to their survival.
And that freedom was so powerful that it more than offset the physical stress.

--- p.95

I moved fiercely.
I sent out dozens of applications to medical and dental schools across the United States.
I wrote each and every letter with such care that my earnestness seeped into the paper.
But all that came back was a cold rejection.

--- p.121

Sometimes it was too much.
There were times when I felt like I was going to collapse from exhaustion.
But I didn't stop.
For my beloved family and my dreams.
Those were times of academic growth and dedication for me, and it was an arduous journey carrying two names: as a student and as a professor at Harvard.

--- p.169

When I look back on the journey I've taken in life, it wasn't a simple path.
It was a story of recovery and overcoming, of breaking down and rising again, of survival in an unfamiliar world and adapting, and of perseverance in a persistent struggle to move forward.
From Korea to Augusta, Georgia, to Boston, and finally to Los Angeles.
The city has changed, but my resolve to fight within it has always remained the same.

--- p.197