Side Quests
Passion-Led
Photographer / Fell in love with capturing moments when I was 14, never ended up putting the camera down
Researcher / Graduated but never left academia. Currently working on psychology research at MSU
(Wannabe) Chef / Opened a weekend only pop-up kitchen and catering service with a friend for several months
Service
Community
Leader / Earned multiple presidential volunteer awards. Been leading nonprofit organizations since I was 16, planning to do so for as long as I can
(Wannabe) Chef (Again) / Cooking weekly meals for 10-25 students and young adults. Always trying to introduce them to new flavors from around the globe
College Application Coach / Assisting students reach their college dreams
Favorites
National Parks
North Cascades - Blue Lake Trail / 4.6mi
Petrified Forest - Historic Blue Forest Trail / 2.7mi
Acadia - Ocean Path Trail / 4.1mi
Yosemite - Four Mile Trail / 5.5mi
Cups of Caffeine
Latte from my home cafe ◡̈
Yuzu Espresso Tonic from Saturn Coffee / Detroit, MI
Cascara Lime Tonic from Comet Coffee / Ann Arbor, MI
Iced Americano from April Coffee / Seoul, KR
Books
And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman / Invokes a wave of sadness you can't help but embrace. Broadened understanding for an experience I have never lived through
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami / Really bizarre in a "can't-put-it-down" way. Fusion of borderline-dystopian universe and surrealism. Found myself thinking about it for weeks after finishing
The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee / Translated from Korean and includes snippets of my culture, which, combined with the cozy fiction vibe of the book, comforted my soul
Before the Coffee Gets Cold / Toshikazu Kawaguchi / Easy read. Didn't know it stuck with me until I realized I'm still thinking about the premise 4 years after reading it
Music
Pretty much every song from Bruno Major
"Vienna", "New York State of Mind", "She's Got A Way" / Billy Joel
Disney meets 2000s punk bands / A Whole New Sound
2000s rock/alt. Notably "Sirens" by Angels & Airwaves, "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty
👩🏻💻
Irene J. Kim