Fellow Highlights

Not On My Resume: Eunice Cho

May 17, 2023

Eunice Cho is a senior staff attorney at the ACLU National Prison Project. Eunice’s work focuses on challenging unconstitutional conditions in US immigration detention facilities and working towards an end to the country’s mass immigration detention system. A 2007 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow, Eunice is the proud daughter of immigrants from Korea, and grew up in Arizona.

Why did you (or your family) come to America?
My father came to the United States as an agronomy student: he wanted to take part in the Green Revolution to increase food production. My mother went from Korea to work as a migrant nurse in rural Canada before coming to the US when she married my father.

Which living New American do you most admire?
All of them. But I hold particularly close to my heart immigrants who are held in ICE detention facilities each day, holding most tightly their dreams of life as New Americans.

What is your current state of mind?
Hopeful: it is spring, and the flowers are blooming. I’m also seeing some long-held projects start to come to life, and it’s lovely to be with friends and colleagues in person again.

When was the last time you felt imposter syndrome?
Yesterday afternoon!

What is your greatest fear?
Of leaving this earth before my son has grown into an adult.

If you could change careers and do anything, what would it be?
I’d either be a florist, professional gardener, or movie producer. But I deeply love and am grateful for my work and feel very fortunate to be able to do what I do.

What is your idea of a good life?
A good life is one where you’ve helped this world.

What is the one habit that you can’t live without?
My 20-minute morning jog. Also: peanut M&Ms.

What one piece of advice do you live by?
My mother always said: If you don’t know how to do something, you can always learn how to do it.

Who or what makes your heart beat faster when you think about them?
In a stressful way: impending court decisions that may affect my clients and cases.
In a good way: my partner and my son. I feel so lucky to have this family.

This interview was originally published in the April, 2023 issue of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships’ monthly Distance Traveled newsletter. Sign up to receive the latest issue here. ∎