This summer, the Foundation is fortunate to host an intern from the Fairfax County Public Library through the Fairfax County Youth Leadership Program (FCYLP). FCYLP is designed to educate and motivate high school students to become engaged citizens and leaders in the community through participation in monthly learning sessions, completion of a three-week paid internship in a Fairfax County department, and by acting as ambassadors for the program.
Rachel Kim is a 17-year-old Korean-American who is a rising senior at Westfield High School. Rachel's project with the Foundation this summer is to conduct a "Where are they now?" series, focusing on recipients of the Foundation's various scholarships.
Keep reading to learn more about Rachel, and check back in the coming weeks for our "Where are they now?" series!
As a rising senior, have you thought about what you want to do in the future?
High school has been challenging because of studying, but friends and teachers have made it memorable. I know that I want to major in international affairs or something government related, so this internship is a good opportunity for me to see how government functions. Right now, I'm thinking about going to George Washington University in DC because they have a good international affairs program there.
What made you want to get involved in the Fairfax County Youth Leadership Program (FCYLP)?
I was looking for ways to involve myself more with extracurricular activities outside of school, and to see what it means to actually serve in the community. It was mainly my career interests that made me want to do this because it has to do with the government and I wanted to see, through an internship, how things operate and where I could possibly fit in.
Besides school and FCYLP, what do you like to do in your free time?
I like taking photos, and I'm one of the editors for yearbook at Westfield. I like writing, so that's one of the things I really like about this internship because I get to do similar work to yearbook. I like cooking and baking, too, when I have the time, but I haven't been able to do it recently because I've been busy with summer homework and internship. I'll follow recipes, but put my own twist on it. And I really like taking pictures of food. I've always thought of becoming a food blogger in my free time.
What is your favorite place to hang out in Fairfax County?
I like the environment of Fairfax Corner, how all the shops are next to each other and there are a lot of restaurants.
What are three things people might not know about you?
1. I look very quiet from the outside, but when you start a conversation with me, I can be quite talkative.
2. I like taking care of kids, so that was one of my first career interests -- becoming a teacher. But nowadays, I'm leaning more towards the government field.
3. I was born in Vietnam. People always expect me to be born in either Korea or America.
What is your goal in 5 years?
My goal is to be employed with the International Justice Mission in DC. They are a non-profit organization helping impoverished areas around the world. Otherwise, I hope to be working at a government agency. Ultimately, I want to stay in the Northern Virginia/DC area close to my parents, and travel in my free time when I can.
