Humility Christopher Kim

My childhood began amidst a bevy of confusion – my parents worked several jobs and rushed in and out of the front door from one shift to the next, each time in a different uniform. Although my sister and I were able to take part in every school event, extra-curricular activity and any other interest we chose, we often had to find rides home as the only parentless students. Over time, I grew to resent my parents dedication to work – what was it about their jobs that would keep them from home and every single thing my sister and I took part in? Seemingly nothing more than workaholics, my parents slowly began to represent everything that I did not want in life: no time at home, on the weekends, or with the kids. In school I was consistently at the top of my class in the hopes of transcending my parent’s lot in life. My wayward perception allowed to go unchecked, I garnered a naïve sense of confidence and continued to believe that my parents’ actions were out of sheer selfishness.

When I reached high school, the activities that I became involved in grew exponentially in number – just more events for my parents to ignore. Again, I immersed myself in every opportunity, exhausting every resource available and pushing myself to every...