SIWA Volunteers' 23-Year Journey with Korean Adoptee Families in the U.S.
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2026-07-24
Since 2004, the SIWA Volunteer Group, a leadership group under Sookmyung Women’s University’s Student Support Center, has participated in Camp Mujigae, a summer camp in Albany, New York, for Korean adoptees to explore Korean culture.
One of the largest camps for Korean adoptees in the eastern United States, Camp Mujigae has welcomed SIWA volunteers each summer as they share Korean culture with adoptees and their families. This year, marking the camp’s 40th anniversary, Professor Hyung-jin Lee of the Division of English Language & Literature and 12 students from the 23rd SIWA Volunteer Group took part in the program, making the visit especially meaningful.
Supported by the Sookmyung Culture Foundation, chaired by Sun-hye Cho, the group departed for the United States on June 25 and returned to Korea on July 11 after completing its volunteering activities. The students taught four classes for Korean adoptees ages 3 to 17: Korean language, Korean history, Korean folktales, and K-pop dance. After the camp concluded, the SIWA students stayed in pairs with six host families for one week, sharing everyday life with adoptive families.
For more than two decades, the SIWA Volunteer Group has fostered the sharing of values and solidarity across borders—an effort that also reflects Sookmyung’s commitment to ESG values. On the occasion of Camp Mujigae’s 40th anniversary, Sookmyung looked back on the meaning of this longstanding partnership through conversations with local host families.
Professor Hyung-jin Lee, who accompanied this year’s SIWA Volunteer Group, interviewed Peter Del Monico and Vincenzo Mautone, longtime host family members. Del Monico serves as Camp Mujigae’s lead coordinator, while, having welcomed SIWA volunteer students as a host family for more than two decades, Mautone and his family visited Korea in 2016 at the invitation of the SIWA Volunteer Group.
Interview with Peter Del Monico
Members of the SIWA Volunteer Group pose for a commemorative photo in front of Peter Del Monico’s house.
Q. Could you briefly introduce yourself?
A. My name is Peter Del Monico, and I serve as one of the Camp Mujigae directors. My connection with the camp began as a camper when I was a child. I was adopted from Busan, South Korea, through an adoption agency in the early 1980s. Today, I live in Upstate New York with my wife, Aura, our two daughters, Madeline and Elizabeth, and our dog, Hazel.
Q. This year marks Camp Mujigae’s 40th anniversary. What does the Mujigae Camp mean to Korean adoptees and their families?
A. Camp Mujigae is much more than a summer camp—it is a place of belonging. For many Korean adoptees, it is the first time they meet others who share similar life experiences. There is an immediate connection and understanding that often doesn't require words.
For those who have felt isolated or different, the camp becomes a place to build confidence, embrace their identity, and celebrate Korean culture. The friendships formed here often last a lifetime. Today, many of us who grew up at Camp Mujigae are now bringing our own children so they can experience that same sense of community and pride in their heritage.
Q. The SIWA Volunteer Group from Sookmyung Women's University first participated in Camp Mujigae in 2004, making this year's group the 23rd SIWA team. Having worked together for so many years, how has the SIWA Volunteer Team contributed to Camp Mujigae?
A. The dedication and heart that each SIWA Volunteer Team brings to camp is truly inspiring. Every lesson, prepared over the course of more than six months in Korea, is taught with care, enthusiasm, and genuine compassion. For over two decades, SIWA has provided our campers with an authentic connection to Korea that simply cannot be replicated. Their partnership enriches every aspect of camp and has become an essential part of the experience for our families.
Q. After the program of Camp Mujigae concludes, the SIWA volunteers stay with adoptive families through a homestay program. What do you hope both the volunteers and the host families will gain from this homestay experience?
A. This is the 10th year my family has had the privilege of hosting SIWA volunteers, and it is one of the highlights of our summer. Camp simply would not be the same without them. The homestay experience allows friendships to grow beyond camp through everyday moments-sharing three meals a day, talking while watching television in the living room in the evenings, and spend weekends going on outings together. It means becoming another kind of family beyond the experience of Camp Mujigae itself.
While SIWA students experience a glimpse of everyday life in America, our family continue learning about Korean culture in a personal way. Each year, our daughters welcome a new group of SIWA students into our home, and by the time they leave, my daughters think of SIWA students as their 언니 (eonni). Those relationships often continue long after camp ends and the students return to Korea.
Interview with Vincenzo Mautone
Members of the SIWA Volunteer Group pose for a commemorative photo with Vincenzo Mautone’s family.
Q. I now turn to Vincenzo Mautone, who has been a host family member for the SIWA Volunteer Group for more than two decades. Could you briefly introduce yourself?
A. I am Vincenzo (Vince) Mautone. My family includes my wife, Diane; daughter, Olivia Na Young; and son, Andrew Min Jae. We live in Albany, New York, approximately 2.5 hours north of New York City.
Q. When did you first become involved with Camp Mujigae, and how did your family become a SIWA host family?
A. We attended our first Camp Mujigae shortly after the arrival of our daughter Olivia in 2000. Olivia was 10 months old when we first attended Mujigae. We began hosting when the students started teaching at camp.
Q. You've been a host family for SIWA students for more than 20 years now, and what has been the most rewarding part of your experience as a host family for SIWA students?
A. We feel privileged to host the SIWA students and for us, the reward is sharing our time and experiences with the SIWA students at home and at Camp Mujigae. We hope that we have shared and created some special memories with the SIWA students during their time here. We also see how our former students now have wonderful careers and families of their own; it brings us much joy to see them grow and mature. We remind all our students that they are always welcome to our home and are always part of our growing family.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to share about the meaningful relationship between Camp Mujigae and the SIWA Volunteer Group?
A. We would like to express our great thanks to Sookmyung Women’s University for their long-standing support and dedication to Camp Mujigae for all these years. While we meet and get to know the SIWA students and professors, we know there are many people behind the scenes at Sookmyung who also work and support the SIWA program. We would like to thank all of you for giving us and all Mujigae families your kindness and support. We would also like to thank the families of the SIWA students for their support through the years.