Heather Shultz Gittens

Heather Schultz Gittens is a writer, educator, and cycle-breaker based in New York. Born in Seoul in 1984, she was adopted at four months old through Eastern Social Welfare (ESWS) and Love the Children in Pennsylvania and raised in Long Island. After enduring a long battle with multiple sclerosis, her mother passed away when she was ten. Heather received her mother’s childhood journal, which preserved memories of her early years and her parents’ efforts to honor her Korean heritage.

Following her mother’s passing, Heather endured family conflict, housing insecurity, and barriers to education. Even being told by her stepmother, “You’re not Korean, you’re American.” With her grandmother’s support, she earned a bachelor’s degree and MPA from Baruch College. In 2014, she returned to Seoul, revisiting ESWS and birth clinic while confronting the challenges of accessing her records.

Motherhood sparked a deeper journey of healing through somatic work and connection with other adoptees. A TEDx speaker and aspiring author of Korean folklore children's books, Heather channels her lived experience today by helping others to do the uncomfortable, yet rewarding, work of healing within their own lives.

Special thanks to the Thomas and Wonsook Foundation for their generous support in making this project possible. And to Joy Lieberthal Rho, founder of IAMAdoptee for her consultation and post-support services for this project.