This spotlight features Grace Kim, a rising junior at the University of Virginia. She is majoring in History and Political Philosophy & Law, and interned this summer with the USDA’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
What was the moment in your life when you realized you wanted to explore public service?
I think I always was interested in public service, but not always for the right reasons. Back in high school, I tried to boost my own ego by telling people I wanted to work in the government or work in a name-brand, non-profit organization. I didn’t embrace public service as something of my own until I came to college. When I came to college, I interacted with classmates and professors who faced discrimination because of their race, gender, and disability. I talked for hours with homeless people and ex-convicts right outside of my school who had a multitude of complex challenges they faced in their lives. Meeting people who were disadvantaged and connecting with their stories gave me a new drive for wanting to pursue public service. Public service wasn’t just an abstract concept anymore; it was a myriad of people I cared about.
What are your main responsibilities at your position? What are you looking forward to the most in your position?
I work in the USDA’s Office of the Assistant Secretary of Civil Right (OASCR)s- Data Records Management Division. As an intern, I help summarize and organize the influx of documents and correspondence which come into the Civil Rights office. I also have been learning how to use the iComplaint system, which is basically an electronic form through which USDA employees can file EEO complaints, and have been offering feedback about the iComplaint system. I think I am most looking forward to simply learning more about how the OASCR functions in general and how the government tackles civil rights complaint issues.
How does this internship help you with your professional goals?/What do you want to get out of it?
I want to be a civil rights attorney someday, so this internship correlates directly with what I want to do someday. While my division specifically deals with the intake of complaints which come through, the OASCR as a whole investigates these cases and seeks to resolve them or even helps take them to court. I think observing how these issues are practically dealt with has been immensely helpful.
What motivates you?
The main thing that motivates me in life is my faith as a Christian. It is the greatest defining factor of my identity and shapes my world view. For me, the work I want to pursue and my passion for public service ultimately stems from the fact that I want to glorify God by serving others.
What is something that most people would not know about you?
When I was younger, I ate so much candy that the entire top row of my teeth had cavities. Because of that, the whole row had to be silver-plated. Unfortunately, this meant that I had silver teeth in all my pictures up until I was seven when I finally lost all of my baby teeth.
When you get off work, what do you do? What are your weekend activities?
I’m a bit of a bookworm, so I love going to the libraries and stocking up on books I want to read over the summer. Besides that, I’ve been practicing my guitar, watching movies with my sisters, and catching up with friends over bubble tea.
Grace Kim is a second year at the University of Virginia majoring in History and Political Philosophy & Law. At UVA, she expresses her passion for public service through her involvement in different clubs and organizations. Grace volunteers in Live Love, an organization that serves the homeless of Charlottesville, and works as the secretary of the UNICEF club to advocate for global issues. Grace also has a passion for advancing minority rights, and she is excited for this opportunity to work with CAPAL. She will be interning this summer in the USDA’s Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Data & Records Management Division. In her spare time, she can be found reading novels, singing in her a capella group, and meeting new people.
Meet all of our CAPAL Scholars & Interns here.
Posted by Felicia Wong
Felicia Wong is currently a senior at the College of William and Mary, double majoring in Neuroscience and Asian American Studies, and minoring in Biochemistry. She is president of the Filipino American Student Association, and current non-academic projects include creating films calling for diversity curriculums/requirements and establishing an official APIA Studies program. Felicia was also elected president of Global Medical Brigades to lead a sustainable healthcare program in rural communities in Nicaragua. She hopes to connect her interests in healthcare with the community she has found in her cultural background. Having lived in Germany for most of her childhood, Felicia makes yearly trips back to visit her family, providing opportunities for her to indulge in her greatest joys: touring castles, eating at cafés, taking fashion cues from strangers, cooking with her family. Non-country specific pleasures include: biking, watching live music performances, screaming because Game of Thrones.