Prospect High's Brian Kim is Heading to Waterloo

Brian Kim walks up and says a soft hello. He walks like an athlete, if you know what I mean. There's a subtle swagger, as if he's walking up dribbling a ball.

The senior is leaving California, the United States, actually, for the University of Waterloo in Canada, where one of his church leaders graduated from.

The main reason for this interesting choice of higher education, Brian says, is because of the co-op program that is offered there to all engineering students. Brian will be able to go to school for four months, then work full time for four months, and finish up his schooling in five years.

"I felt like this gave me a great opportunity to get work experience during college, since I will be working for different places each of the four months that are related to my major," he says.

Some of these "different" places he will have the chance to work at are, in fact, other countries. This works out well for Brian, as he will have the chance to work in Korea where most his family still lives.

This is part of a series of high school graduation stories that will run throughout the week, highlighting high school seniors at the various school sites and their stories.

All the schools within the district are holding their graduation ceremonies on Thursday.

This is Brian Kim's story.

Campbell Patch: How are you feeling?

Brian Kim: Right now, my emotions full of mixed feelings. I feel sad that I won't be seeing my friends but excited for the new experience and college.

Patch: What will you miss most?

Brian: I think I'll miss high school sports the most. Especially basketball. I think I'll miss playing in games.

Patch: What will you miss least?

Brian: I would have to say waking up early for school.

Patch: What are you looking forward to?

Brian: I'm looking forward to going out of country for college, where it will snow during winter!

Patch: Who inspires you?

Brian: A lot of people inspire me, but I think my family inspires me the most.

Patch: What teacher made an impact in your life?

Brian: I would say Mr. Furlong. Even though I didn't have him as a teacher, he was my basketball coach for the past two years. He thought me so much through basketball.

Patch: What college will you attend?

Brian: I'm planning to attend University of Waterloo in Canada.

Patch: Are you the first to go to college in your family?

Brian: Nope. Both my parents went to college, and my brother is currently enrolled in UC San Diego

Patch: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Brian: I plan to become an engineer.

Patch: What was your favorite high school memory?

Brian: My favorite high school memory is prom. I never liked dances, but prom was really fun and exciting.

Patch: What was your most difficult high school challenge?

Brian: Managing my time was the most difficult challenge during high school. I would always procrastinate and end up having to stay late finishing my homework.

Patch: What was your favorite class?

Brian: I liked 3-D Design because I had a lot of my friends in that class and my teacher, Mr. Fisher, was funny and cool!

Patch: What was your least favorite class?

Brian: I didn't like history classes, but I think that's because I was horrible at history. 

Patch: Any plans after graduation?

Brian: I plan to go to Korea for the summer to spend time with my family. Then, I will have to move to Canada when school begins.