Worldly student makes home at SCCC

by Jared Duncan
A&E editor

Some know him as John. Some know him as Joon. And some simply know him as "Naughty Boy". Whatever you refer to him as, chances are you have met, or at least seen him on campus.

He is Joon Soo Kim or "John", an international student making his way through his first year at Seward County Community College.

Kim was born on Oct. 8, 1979 in Buscan, South Korea, where he was raised and pursued the usual childhood activities, such as starting a paper route at age 12. After high school, Kim attended Pu Kyuna International University for a year.

At 19, while doing some amateur motorcycle racing, Kim enlisted in the Korean military.

Not much is known about Kim's experience due to its sacred nature, but after two years, he was out.

To earn money, Kim spent many nights announcing keno games at a Korean casino, a skill he will gladly display to those curious enough to ask. His parent's disapproval of his casino position caused Kim to travel to America.

"My parents wanted me to see a bigger world, not just a casino world," Kim said.

So, in August of 2001, Kim came to Chicago, where he lived with his aunt for year.

During this time, Kim was impressed with tourist sights such as Niagara Falls and New York City. After a month, he packed up and headed to Los Angeles, Calif.

While in L.A. he studied the English language at a local college and traveled to San Diego and Las Vegas. But, while studying in California, Kim was finding it hard to let go of his Korean language.

"Korea Town is huge," Kim said, "You can take a U.S. driver's license test in Korean. So I was just looking for a place where there were no Koreans."

That's when Kim stumbled upon SCCC on the internet, and soon it became his English-speaking refuge. Kim is a freshman this year and has enjoyed his time here so far.

"Seward County Community College is like a family," Kim said, "Most people are very nice and help me out."

While on campus, Kim has learned how to play golf and was a singer in the local band Joon Soo Kim and The Lazyboys along with his roommate Luis Salas and SCCC sophomore Kevin Claypool.

"He's definitely a friend who's there when you need him," said Claypool of Kim, "He's a very open-minded and worldly person. He has been through a lot of different things that many people don't experience in two lifetimes, let alone one."

"It's really nice, it's like living with a friend," said Salas, about his roomie, "I know if I have a problem, he can help me out."

Kim plans on staying another year at SCCC and wants to give one piece of advice to all the students.

"There's a frog living in a well, and the only world he sees is the sky above the well entrance, therefore, the frog thinks he is the center of the universe, because that is all he can see of the world. The moral of the story is: Don't be satisfied with where you are. Get out and travel and see different cultures and human relationships."