When considering which high school she would attend, freshman Lila Kim was very sure that she would choose La Salle because of her familial ties to the school. “I chose La Salle because my brother goes here. And then my mom and aunt and my uncle went here too,” she said. “So it’s kind of like family.”
Kim attended Franciscan Montessori Earth School (FMES) and feels that she has transitioned well to La Salle, but has also noticed the significant increase in workload from FMES.
Kim’s favorite classes are Spanish II and Honors Algebra II, taught by Ms. Lisa Moran and Mr. Linus Oey, respectively. “I like them because they’re challenging, because I think I took more of a path that most freshmen don’t take,” she said. Kim’s favorite teacher is Mr. Oey because of his sense of humor and kindness towards his students.
Outside of academics, Kim has played volleyball since she was in third grade for a CYO team, and has remained dedicated to the sport by joining a club team and competing with them year round, filling many of her weekends with tournaments.
In addition, Kim played for La Salle’s JV2 volleyball team this previous fall season and enjoyed the volleyball community. “I think we had a really good team connection,” she said. Kim appreciates having the program to ease her way into the school community and can’t wait to play again next year.
When Kim isn’t on the volleyball court, she is relaxing, practicing piano, reading a book, or needle felting.
Being surrounded by fiber arts since she was a kid thanks to her mom’s hobby of knitting, Kim felt it was natural for her to take up needle felting when she got a needle felting kit for Christmas. It is an interest she has been exploring for several years now, involving sculpting shapes out of loose wool by repeatedly jabbing them with a special barbed needle. Most of the things she creates with needle felting are little animals.
Kim has also explored the resources of the Innovation and Design Center at La Salle. “I’m usually there before and after school. So it’s kind of just become a little haven,” she said. Kim has been experimenting with the Cricut to create stickers and iron-ons from images she’s doodled and has also tried her hand at crafting jewelry.
Kim’s passion for the arts extends beyond visual and 3D. She enjoys playing the piano and hopes to continue to make time for practice amidst her busy schedule.
She is currently learning her first nocturne, which is a piece she’s excited about. “I like stuff that’s more flowy, like Chopin,” she said.
Kim finds that the piano is a way to decompress. “It’s really nice to be able to kind of just let go of other things in the moment,” she said. She hopes to continue to play for fun throughout high school and into college.
Keeping an open mind about her academic plans for the future, Kim plans on continuing to challenge herself and pursue her interests. “I want to stay motivated to learn and keep pushing to absorb more knowledge.” she said.
