I graduated high school in the spring of 2017 and was excited to begin college that fall. Unfortunately, a lot happened at once that I wasn’t ready for. I was struggling with basic needs such as housing after I was no longer welcome in my parents’ home. I was struggling with preparing for college, effectively on my own. Once at school in the fall, I was also struggling with adapting to a new environment, while coping with the mental health effects of the past several months. Due to my poor mental health, I had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from school in October 2017. I was at the lowest point in my life. I felt like a failure, I felt like I’d never be happy or successful. But slowly, very slowly, I rebuilt my life. I utilized therapy to help recenter myself and manage my mental health better. I worked full-time to support myself. I developed a close support system. I didn’t allow myself to give up every time I lost hope. Healing isn’t a straightforward path, and I had to learn to be patient and forgiving with myself. Towards the end of 2020, I was able to enroll at Northern Virginia Community College and start taking classes online part-time while still working full-time. At times, it was hard not to compare myself to others who graduated high school when I did. It was hard to remember that I wasn’t “behind”, but that this was my own path. Slowly but surely, semester by semester, I made progress on my degree. My aspirations of becoming a forensic scientist motivated me. My passion to learn and improve helped focus me. In May of 2023, I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northern Virginia Community College with my A.S. in Science. I did that. And while I learned how resilient I am in the process, I am by no means finished with my path. I am entering George Mason University this fall semester as a junior, and I will earn my B.S. in Forensic Science with a concentration in Biology, pursuing my education full-time while working part-time. My mental health has never been as strong. I set goals and I achieved them. I took one step at a time and now I can’t even see where I started. And I will continue to do so until every single goal I have set and will set has been fulfilled. Thank you for your time, and thank you for giving this opportunity to students like me.

Hi, my name is Jacinda Kim. I am a first-generation student and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northern Virginia Community College in May 2023 with my A.S. in science. I am currently enrolled at George Mason University for Fall 2023, where I will earn my B.S. in forensic science, with a concentration in biology. I am passionate about forensics because of the difference I believe I will make one day. Forensic science plays a crucial role in our justice system, in proving both innocence and guilt. As much as the media loves an unsolved case, my biggest hope is to one day be a part of a system that eliminates the possibility for unsolved cases. I am not naive enough to believe crime will ever cease, but I want to be part of those able to bring perpetrators to justice and provide closure for victims and their families. I want to be able to reduce, if not eliminate, the number of those unjustly incarcerated while the true criminal remains free to hurt more people in our community. As a first-generation student, I have seen how important an education is to achieving your goals and pursuing the fields you are passionate in. My mother graduated high school and has spent her life working as an underwriter for home loans. I saw how stressed she was every day, I saw how much more taxing a career you didn’t care about was. My father graduated high school, went into the Army, and has spent his post-military career working at Costco. I saw how exhausted he always was, often working overnight shifts and filling in when others called out. I saw firsthand how both my parents did what they could in order to provide for my younger siblings and me, but how they both had to let their true aspirations die. Because of this, both of my parents always pushed me to follow a path in higher education. They didn’t want the same life for me. They fostered my passions and ambitions; they encouraged me to aim higher than they did. They sacrificed so I wouldn’t have to. They taught me the value of hard work; they taught me to believe in myself. They never told me I couldn’t be a woman in a STEM field, they simply pushed me to do my best. And I will always be grateful to them. Thank you for your time, and thank you for giving this opportunity to students like me.

Hi, my name is Jacinda Kim. I am half Korean from my father’s side and half Caucasian from my mother’s side. Growing up in the DMV area has provided me the opportunity to be much closer to my Korean family, most of whom are in Fairfax County. Growing up here has also been an amazing opportunity to learn how diverse our world is, something that not all communities in the United States are able to experience. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northern Virginia Community College in May 2023 with my A.S. in science. I am currently enrolled at George Mason University for Fall 2023, where I will earn my B.S. in forensic science, with a concentration in biology. I am passionate about forensics because of the difference I believe I will make one day. Forensic science plays a crucial role in our justice system, in proving both innocence and guilt. As much as the media loves an unsolved case, my biggest hope is to one day be a part of a system that eliminates the possibility for unsolved cases. I am not naive enough to believe crime will ever cease, but I want to be part of those able to bring perpetrators to justice and provide closure for victims and their families. I want to be able to reduce, if not eliminate, the number of those unjustly incarcerated while the true criminal remains free to hurt more people in our community. While the media also loves a serial killer, such as recently convicted Joseph James DeAngelo (also known as the Golden State Killer), I want this to change with the next generations. I want serial killers in general to be much less popular, due to being able to find these criminals before they can commit multiple crimes. And while forensic science will play a large role in this, educating the next generations to continue building forensic science as a field is also important. Continuing to expand forensic technology and methods, increasing the number of forensic scientists, and broadening the opportunities for the next generations to get involved in forensics all begin with education. George Mason University is one of the few universities that offer forensic science as a major. In fact, bold.org does not list forensic science as an option for me to select as my major. This needs to change, and I want to be part of that change. Once I graduate, I want to be able to help establish programs for future students to become more aware of the field of forensic science. I want to be able to create more internship opportunities to give students a chance to become more invested in forensics. I want the next generations to be just as passionate about making a difference through forensics as I am. Thank you for your time, and thank you for giving this opportunity to students like me.