Jasmin Kim, Class of 2019, has always held volunteering and acts of service in a special place. Starting with mission trips during high school, Kim decided to keep herself within the community after graduating.
Kim currently attends at the University of Missouri, pursuing a degree in nursing. From the beginning of college until December 2022, Kim taught hip-hop dance to younger children on campus. She taught the dance form once a week for an hour, and would often prepare before each class to make it fun for the kids.
“I didn’t really just teach dance the whole time, because kids can’t do that for the whole hour. So I prepared different games that kids like to do,” Kim said.
Her favorite memories from that volunteer experience came from the performances the kids did.
“We would set up a date where they could perform in front of the group, parents, family and friends. After that, they would come up to me with their parents, and they would be like, ‘hey, I really appreciate having you as a teacher,’ and they give me hugs. That was so cute,” Kim said.
Apart from teaching the dance classes on campus, Kim actively participated in service during a gap year she took in South Korea.
While she spent time with her family in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic, she also offered to help the community stay safe by doing basic health checks for people who came by.
“I would explain to them why I was doing this, get their temperature and write that down, and be sure they don’t have any fever,” Kim said.
She said her interest in a career in nursing was the main reason she participated in that experience.
“I wanted to do something. You know, help people with my background,” Kim said
Kim also takes note of how her active engagement in the community led to her to pursue a degree in nursing.
“Having that [volunteer] experience made me realize that I like volunteering. I like helping people, because it’s just fun. Especially, when I can just build connections with people, especially [at] vulnerable times, like COVID-19 or at the hospital,” Kim said.
With all the lessons volunteering taught Kim, she highly encourages students in high school to also take part in service and receive its advantages.
“It kind of opens your eyes to what you like, and [it’s] also a chance to give back to your community. Also, I feel like volunteering helps you meet people who are usually the nicest and the kindest people. I feel like you would make friends. You would, you know, get good memories working with different people,” Kim said.
