Why We Pour So Much Love into Rhea

We don’t train, guide, and educate Rhea because we’re chasing after a famous school. We do it because that’s simply what loving parents do.

At just over 2 years old, Rhea is bursting with energy, curiosity, and joy. She mimics everything, tries hard to express herself with her limited vocabulary, and is eager to learn. An and Gavin spend hours each day playing, talking, and reading with her. Every single night, she won’t go to sleep until she gets her bedtime story — read aloud by either Mom or Dad.

Because of all this love and effort, we believe it’s only natural that Rhea will be able to enter the best schools and eventually the best universities. It’s not about status — it’s about freedom of choice. We’re not trying to impress anyone. We just want to give her a strong foundation and the power to shape her own future.

One real story brings this into focus. A close friend of An’s, who works at NVIDIA, applied to The Harker School for their child. Harker is one of the most prestigious private schools in the U.S., with tuition now near $60,000 per year. The family could easily afford it, but the application didn’t succeed. The issue wasn’t money — it was that the school looks closely at the whole child and family. To be considered, the child must already show a genuine passion for at least two hobbies, and both child and parents go through interviews. This was eye-opening for An and Gavin. It wasn’t discouraging — rather, it confirmed their approach. What matters is not last-minute cramming for interviews, but years of everyday parenting: love, interaction, and presence.

A recent moment captured this beautifully. At a playground with the alphabet painted along a path, Rhea jumped joyfully from one letter to the next — “A! B! C!” — sometimes needing a little help from Gavin, who patiently guided her through the tougher ones. It was fun, educational, and full of love. No pressure. Just presence. Just parenting.