Episode 144- Jae Merm @HLKglass ... Yes, She is a Bad A$$!!

Episode 144- Jae Merm @HLKglass...Happy Little Korean         Jae was born on November 23, 1988 in Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea and adopted out of Seoul when she was just a few months old. I don't know much about my birth parents, other than her birth Mom was 23, Dad was 25 and they were not married. In Korean culture it is not uncommon to be disowned by your family if you have a child out of wedlock. So instead of living a life of uncertainty, Jae, as an infant, was flown into JFK airport on a military aircraft and escorted by a USAF officerafter being adopted.         She grew up in a small town near Syracuse, N.Y.  and was really involved in extracurriculars and the arts, but lacrosse was became her main focus. She attended Lacrosse camps at Syracuse University and Duke University in North Carolina every summer and played on an elite traveling team. By her Senior year of High school she was forced to sit out the entire season due to a grade 3 ankle sprain. This injury ultimately ended her career and dream of playing collegiate level lacrosse. She attended college and finished out her freshman year  and left school for good. Dealing with a serious blow to her spirit she decided to take a completely different path after and went to see an Air Force recruiter. She left for the military on December 4th , and due to her inate leadership skills she was elected to be the Dorm Chief of my basic training flight, graduated school and became a fighter and heavy aircraft mechanic.          Jae's orders took her to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska which became one of the best decisions she feels she ever made. She did a lot of traveling growing up- internationally and within the continental US. She traveled after her time in the Air Force, lived in Brooklyn for a good while, fell in love, and eventually moved to Vegas. Her son was born in May 2012, started blowing glass in 2013. Eventually she built hery own in home studio and purchased a decent sized paragon kiln (F420) at Champs that summer, saved up to buy a brand new 40mm Herbie, and a great friend, Alex (@artbygoon on instagram) decided he'd rather be a tattoo artist instead of a glass blower, and proceeded to give Jae his hoses, gauges, oxy tank, cases of clear Schott, and some basic tools.  She's been blowing glass on her own for just about a year now.  you can find Jae on instagram @HLKglass   www.wyzguymedia.com/144