Degree(s): Kim received a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from Hood College in 2004 and then went on to further her education at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health receiving a MHS (Masters of Health Science) and her Ph.D.
What is your current position? Postdoctoral Research Scholar (Brown School of Social Work at the Washington University in St. Louis)
What do you like most about your career? That’s hard to say – I really love the intellectual stimulation that academia provides – the ability to ask questions about how the world works and figure out how to use data and statistics to answer them. But I also love being in the world of public health. My graduate school alma mater has the motto “Saving Lives, Millions at a Time” and I love that. My career in public health allows me to work side by side with people who value improving life for people on a wide scale, often for the most vulnerable populations, such as US-residing Latina/os and/or immigrants. So I feel like I get the best of both worlds – a mentally challenging career that is also heartwarming and helps me feel like I am contributing to making the world a better place and working with people who are passionate about doing that!
How did your experience at Hood contribute to your current career? I like to joke that I’ve finally come full circle to my original interests that I developed at Hood. I came in not knowing what I wanted to do in life for a career, but loved the Spanish language so decided to major in Spanish. Because I didn’t want to teach, I decided I should add on a second major. I loved my Psych 101 class taught by Dr. Scott so much that I made Psychology my second major. At that point I knew nothing about psychology but assumed I would become a counselor. Little did I know then that I would end up 10-15 years later doing public mental health research, focusing primarily on the mental health of Latina/os and immigrants in the U.S. However, in a less obvious way, I think my time at Hood really helped me blossom from a smart but shy teenager to a young woman who felt confident enough to ask questions and give opinions in class. I became someone who wasn’t afraid to say what I felt or thought even if it might be incorrect. The only thing that Hood didn’t give me (although this may have changed) is an introduction to public health. If I had to recommend one thing to change, it would be that. More undergraduates need exposure to how awesome public health is!
When applying to colleges, what made you interested in Hood? If I’m being honest, I wasn’t interested in Hood – my dad was. He wanted me to apply to a few in-state schools (I’m from Baltimore County), but I was resistant because I didn’t want to go to an all-women’s college. But I liked its size, the beautiful campus, and the strong academics. However, it was being awarded a full scholarship that made Hood a strong contender during my college search.
What advice would you give to a potential Hood student? Don’t put yourself or your college experience in a box. What everyone gets out of going to Hood is different, and it might be different than what you expect. Very rarely can we predict what the future holds, so try not to put all sorts of expectations on it. Work hard, make good friends, pursue what interests you (both academically and extracurricular), and make sure you’re learning about yourself and growing as a person. Because Hood is so small, it’s a great place to do all of those things!
What is your fondest memory of your time at Hood? It’s really hard to single out just one. I had some really great times with my freshman/sophomore roommate, Elizabeth “Beth” Vacante Dimartino ’04, that I look back on with some serious nostalgia. Even though living with another human in such a small space is very challenging, we had so much fun and became really close. But that sums up my fond memories – they are more like snippets of good times with good friends, whether it be eating gummy bears in the dining hall, driving to the Naval Academy to sing Handel’s Messiah for the weekend, being outside on the quad on a beautiful day, or late-night shenanigans with the girls on my floor in Memorial.
What was your favorite part of life at Hood? The sisterhood! I was actually pretty hesitant to go to an all-women’s college, but I found that removing the guys from residential life (and mostly from the classrooms) gave me a freedom I didn’t realize I needed. I made some really strong friendships and we had a lot of fun together. I also was able to be more open in the classroom, which I think is partly due to it being mostly women.
Looking back, what professor or class had the greatest impact on your future career? I think it was probably Psych 101 (per my answer above), just because it moved me into the world of mental health for the first time. However, I know one of my professors helped me decide between two job offers I received, and if I chose the other one my career would probably have turned out very differently as well. I probably wouldn’t have ended up in public health but would have gone on to become a counselor. Either would be fine, but they are very different things.
Besides classes, what other activities influenced your Life at Hood? I was a student worker all four years at the Registrar’s office, which I loved. I was really involved in Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and continued to play my clarinet in Wind Ensemble. I sang in Handel’s Messiah for a few years. I also studied abroad in Seville, Spain during my junior year as part of my Spanish major requirements. But I think my extracurricular life was dominated by informal activities with friends. I’m a quality time person, so I tend to place a lot of emphasis on building relationships through hanging out or shared activities.
What is one piece of advice to you would give to current students? I’d probably give them similar advice as to prospective students. Don’t put expectations on your college experience. It’s different for everyone. It may not be “the best four years of your life” (that’s what people told me, and so when college/life was hard, it was confusing), but you can make those years valuable to you as a person. Don’t get caught up in having “the perfect” experience – just be present in the many moments that four years are made up of. Also, it’s easy to over commit and feel the pressure to “do all the things”. Instead, try to do a few things really well (again, be present in the moment). In the end when looking back you won’t care if you were involved in 5 extracurricular activities and got straight A’s, you’ll care about the friendships you made and the memories from the people and moments you really invested in.
When was the last time you were on campus and what was your reason for visiting? It’s been a while since I’ve been back, and I honestly can’t remember the reason for going back. It could have been I was in the area and I wanted to show my then boyfriend now fiancé the campus. But I also occasionally returned after graduating to visit my friends from the registrar’s office where I worked as a student.
What changes to Hood impressed you the most and why?
I think it was just the upgrades to the campus – little things that you can’t maybe put your finger on but all contribute to feeling like things are going well. Since it’s been a while I don’t recall many specifics, just that I was impressed that the campus was so nice with so many improvements. The only thing I do recall is all the benches around the quad! When I was a student there weren’t any, and on nice days I would always want to be studying outside. If I had a dollar for every time I thought or said, “I wish they would put benches in for us!” So I was really excited to see that it finally happened, even if I couldn’t enjoy them as a student.
How would you describe the culture of Hood College in one word? That’s a tough question because I feel like the culture is so different now than it was when I was a student (it was all women’s but went co-ed my senior year). There may be a better word for it, but I’d say strong. When I think about Hood, I think about how it built up so many strong women – the people I know from college are amazing women who have gone on to do so many cool things. They have weathered so many hard storms and have done so with grace and resilience. I think it’s a culture of strong relationships between students and also with professors. And strong academics – I learned a lot and was challenged in my classes. So perhaps there’s a fancier word, but I’ll go with strong.
