Senior Spotlight: Hailey Kim

What have been some of your favorite parts of college and what events or memories will stick with you after you graduate?
I know this might sound a little nerdy in a way, but my favorite memory is studying until late at night with my classmates from organic chemistry. I think that's kind of my favorite memory, not because I enjoyed stressing over the material, but because I got to spend so much time together with my friends and that's something that kind of pushed me to go further and grow as a person. Those moments taught me that even though it may seem very difficult and boring, when you do things together it's not bad after all. It made it better to know that we were suffering together. I’ll always remember the time we spent together during freshman and sophomore year and the community at Andrews.

How have you adjusted to the increasing workload as a Biology major over these four years?
I don’t think that my workload necessarily increased. It actually decreased for me. I took foundations of biology with Dr. Zdor, general chemistry with Dr. Hayes and Western Heritage at the same time during freshman year so maybe I was already kind of prepared mentally for all the work that I had to go through for the next three years. I guess what I did that helped me find balance was trying new things outside of schoolwork. Every year I would try to do something new. I was part of Senate one year and I also was an officer for the pre-med club as well. I think those things helped me learn time management skills and to have time for other things so that I wasn’t necessarily studying all the time. In a way, finding this balance helped me study efficiently too and do better in my classes as the years went on. My first year of college I just remember sitting down and studying the whole time - even Saturday nights and until sunset on Fridays. I was that one person who was always just studying and not going to any social activities, but I did better in the second semester and the year after, when I finally started finding more ways to study efficiently by actually attending social events and taking responsibility for leadership activities and work.

How have you juggled being a Pre-med Club president with your academic and personal life?
Oh, that's a hard question. It may seem like I'm on top of everything all the time, but in real life I struggle a lot because it’s very difficult sometimes to keep the balance, especially with COVID and with no breaks. It has been very difficult, but then again, I feel like I was already trained because my freshmen and sophomore years were so busy. Trying new things each year, and pushing myself by doing more activities in the past helped me adjust and re-adjust quickly when things got out of balance, which is bound to happen sometimes. I still do struggle with the business of the two because it's not something that you get completely used to but I feel like because I’ve experienced this pace before I go into tasks mentally prepared. I've also learned a lot about myself and when I'm exhausted and when I need to take a break which helps a lot too.

What's next after graduation?
So I guess that's something I don't have a straight or concrete answer to at the moment because I haven't necessarily decided to continue studying right after school or take a gap year. I've been constantly pushing myself since middle school and I feel like I haven't really had a chance to take a break because of all the standardized tests like the ACT, MCAT and school tests to prepare for what's coming next. I know medical school will be at least 10 times harder than what I'm doing right now so I want to take a break––so that I can kind of rebound and be mentally prepared for what’s to come. I'm so exhausted right now and maybe it’s because we’re at the end of the semester. But also at the same time, I want to continue right away because I don't really have a concrete plan for what to do during a gap year and I don’t really want to waste my time in my 20s. There are so many things I can do during these years that could change my life now and in the future. So it’s something that I haven't decided. Hopefully I can figure it out soon after graduation or before, but I am excited to move on and see what the next chapter brings.

What got you interested in medicine?
So there are many reasons, but one reason is that my mom was a nurse and I grew up seeing her work in the hospital, and I enjoyed visiting her. Every once in a while she would bring the equipment that she didn't need anymore because it was broken or malfunctioning and I would play with them and I thought it was pretty cool to be able to work with it. As I grew up, I would often follow my parents around when they went to retirement centers or nursing homes because my dad is a pastor. I would visit there for at least like two or three years during high school and this inspired me to want to work in the medical field. That type of medicine isn’t necessarily the typical mainstream route but it inspired me to work with people who are minorities in the medical field so that they can get the attention and care they need. The nursing homes and hospice centers we went to were very small and not well equipped and I was sad because they reminded me of my grandparents. Our grandparents and parents will all end up at that stage eventually so I want to work with them. Also, I know this sounds so generic but I really like science like I really liked biology so all these different factors kind of came together to influence my decision to study medicine. It wasn’t necessarily like “Oh, I want to go to medical school to become a doctor,” but I wanted to study medicine and help minorities and this is where I’ve ended up, so we’ll see what the future holds.

What is your advice for an incoming freshmen or a freshmen starting out as a biology major?

I remember struggling a lot during my first semester of freshman year and I just wanted to give up every day. I went to Dr. Navia, who was my biology professor at the time, crying about my grades and my mental status, like I just couldn't do it anymore. He encouraged me to give it one more shot and to come back after finishing the year. And I did finish it somehow and it did get better. The transition from high school to college is very hard, especially if you feel like you are not getting enough help.

I want to encourage freshmen students to reach out to any of their teachers or present officers, including me, for help or encouragement because they deserve to get help as I did. So reaching out for help, whenever you need it is my first recommendation. Don't hesitate because the later you get help, the harder it gets. I would also suggest learning to manage your time and finding balance between your social and school life. I think this is very very important because I know there's so many fun things to do at college but I also know there's so much to study too and you can't just focus on one thing and give up on the other. I think practicing that earlier on is better than doing it later for both your grades and your mental stability.

My last piece of advice is to have daily devotions. Even I can confess that I don't do it every day, because there's so much to do and sometimes I get behind in my readings and prayers but I’ve noticed there is a significant difference between when I do devotions and when I don’t. My week just feels different when I do. You’ll feel like you have so much strength and positivity in your life. Doing daily devotions has helped me feel connected to God so it’s something that I definitely want to recommend to everyone even if they aren’t too long. It doesn't have to be reading a whole chapter, maybe just a few verses that pop up on your phone in the morning and just a quick three-minute prayer can make a huge difference. Emphasis on little things makes big differences. When it seems like it's so hard and difficult and you can't really see what's in front of you, just remember that the little things make big differences and whatever you're focusing on right now, will make a big difference in the future.