Changgyu
KIM

Changgyu Kim is a 18 year old youth advocate in civil rights, social justice and lifelong learning. Through various projects which he co-founded or led, he demonstrates empathy, diligence, tenacity, athleticism and social entrepreneurship, and integrates these values and skills to create systems change through his advocacy.     

When he was about five years old, his family watched the Olympics in Beijing together. Everyone was eating a watermelon and complaining about how hot it was because the a/c broke down. A Korean swimmer was getting ready for the final race. It was not a dramatic race, but I still remember it because it was the happiest moment of the family. Changgyu was used to being alone since he was young because his parents were often too busy. 

Kyle has diversified interests which can be demonstrated via these activities below:

• Founder of Cellbaum Lab: Managed marketing and operation. Donated profit to assist 3 domestic violence victim families for mental health sessions. $30k sales from 5 countries. I came up with the idea from my friend from Korea who suffered from domestic violence. I wanted to fix my regret of not helping her when she needed me the most through this project. 

• Asian Culture Club Co-founder and President: Founded the club to spread Asian culture and importance of their Civil Rights. Hosted a special mass for Korean Saints with hundreds of attendees. Organized a number of cultural activities for students, faculty, and parents. Members 80 - 90+, (a bit short of ⅓ of the student body). I started the club to represent Asian student body at our school since the school is predominantly white. 

• Gameweek Captain of Varsity Football Team: Played charity games for cancer patients. Won the NACA championship in 2019. We donated ticket and merchandise sales for the patients. Therefore, the hospital at which they were able to get more essential supplies. 

• Gameweek Captain of Varsity Track and Field Team: Led the team to 8+ events to the MIAA B and C Conference Championship. I have been a weak and skinny kid since I was young. So, I joined these sports teams to break out of my physical comfort zone and challenge myself. Although its training was challenging, I enjoyed the bonding with my teammates and the joy of achieving something I have wondered about.

At university, he would like to take different kinds of courses to expand his academic boundary. He plans to take not only the courses he usually enjoys, such as social science and business classes, but also unfamiliar courses such as computer science, arts, etc. He’d also like to study abroad to learn new languages and culture to get more inspirations. When he is 25 years old, he hopes he can be someone who continues to welcome new explorations and can sympathize with people.