A St. Louis 2002 corps member, Kim is an Innovation School Fellow at The Mind Trust and Founder & Executive Director of BELIEVE Circle City, a public early college and career preparatory high school.

What is your personal ‘why’ for doing this work, and how is it reflected in your leadership style and in how you’re determining the priorities of your school?

My personal ‘why’ is rooted in the urban education movement.

My mom attended a one-room schoolhouse and grew up picking cotton and is one of the smartest people I know. I have to believe that the way we do education isn’t rooted in an unbiased approach to education - we’ve got to get back to that place. In order to do that, we must have more representation at the tables that make decisions for our kids. I attended school where it was force-integrated in St. Louis, and I wasn’t educated in an exclusionary or overly controlled environment. An abundance of friends and autonomy allowed me to blossom. I'm committed to finding ways to provide those same things to kids.

For BELIEVE, making sure our kids are able to have agency and autonomy is super important to me. Also key is that we're providing our kids with the academic preparation to be successful in whatever environment they choose post-high school. If they're going to college, I need to make sure they’re prepared. Same for those who want to go straight into the workforce. All students leaving us must be able to earn a livable wage.

What practices will BELIEVE aim to prioritize?

One is having a life coach for our kids. Many people entering adulthood realize they struggle with figuring out how to have personal happiness and live a happy and healthy whole life. Some are unsure which direction they want their career to go. We want to get our students into the practice early on of having someone to talk to so that when they get into the real world, they feel more confident advocating for what they need and navigating the world in a more holistic way. They'll understanding how to figure out how to be healthy and what that means for them. My way of staying healthy is swimming and being near a swimming pool. For you, it might be running and living near a path to jog. Or letting your stress out in a healthy way. I want to make sure our kids are having that experience in high school so that when they graduate, they’re not struggling to understand their own needs.

What are the greatest lessons you’ve learned from past experience as a school leader and from TFA?

At the root, everyone wants to be seen and heard and feel loved. In our new school model, we call it a village concept as all kids and parents or guardians will have someone in school that's their "person" to go to for anything. That person will go the extra mile for the student's development, academic performance, attendance, and more, and is the #1 cheerleader for them at their school. In addition to that advisor, there will also be a group of kids cheering for them as well, providing positive peer pressure for them to feel like they have a support group and friend. No one is invisible, and we want to create an environment where every child feels that.

TFA has provided me a lot of professional development opportunities as an alum. I’ve been grateful for their investment in my leadership development. I feel strongly that I am a stronger leader today and have a deeper level of impact because of the network of colleagues and lifelong relationships I've gained through TFA.