Last time I had seen David Choi we were standing on a street corner in Harlem, a few years after he graduated the Photography program at New York Film Academy where I was his instructor.
I remember liking David right away when we first met. He was equal parts interested in writing and image making. David had a direct, unapologetic way of speaking. He was also savvy and street smart, with an edge about him. I knew all of these traits would serve him well in NYC. As that first semester drew to a close, I began to see other qualities in him as well: thoughtfulness, generosity and a fierce loyalty to his friends.
Time continued to move forward and somehow we managed to stay in touch as David assisted photographers in all the world’s fashion capitals: New York, London, Paris and then shot compelling editorial portraits in his own right.
Fast forward to this week and a happy reunion in Seoul. We sat down to coffee, I blinked and when I looked up again, three hours had gone by and I had to hustle back home to pick up the kids from school.
These days, David is based in Toronto where he opened “Youthful Vengeance” a café/gallery which became a hub for artists and creatives and now functions as a non-profit with a mission to empower emerging artists.
When I hear the stories of former students like David, they make me feel grateful I spent fifteen years of my life as an educator.
