As the closing notes ring through the Alamodome, senior Eddy Kim faces the audience’s applause. Four years of dedication to a band program and a school culminated in this state winning performance. “The thing I’m most proud of are the people that I’ve been able to invest my time with,” Kim said. “Transferring from a middle school that has nothing to do with Cedar Park High School, I think my biggest goal was to make sure that I met the right people and I invested as much as I could in my friends.” Photo courtesy of Cedar Park Band Boosters

From start to finish, senior Eddy Kim has made his impact ripple through the school. Whether it’s as a debate competitor or as the head drum major of the marching band, Kim has made growth appear in both himself and the programs he is involved in.

After spending four years dedicated to sharpening his work ethic and speaking skills, Kim plans on pursuing a career in private equity. Kim will be attending Michigan State University where he will double-major in business finance and economics.

“I think my senior year has been eventful and meaningful,” Kim said. “As you get older, you get to broaden the scope of your understanding, and you can take a step back and appreciate everything you’re doing.”

Being promoted to head drum major this past year made the amount of responsibility on Kim’s shoulder grow substantially. Initially, these responsibilities led to less fun and more stress but in times where he had to pick the program’s betterment over his own enjoyment or comfort, he saw growth and said that he wouldn’t trade that for the world.

“Being a senior holds a lot of weight, especially when you’ve been in a program that you’ve dedicated so much time to as you really get to see the weight of your words and the meaning behind your actions,” Kim said. “I tried to go into this year like a farmer, planting little seeds and helping them grow, and I’m getting to see them [coming to] fruition.”

On the surface, Kim’s involvement in numerous activities may look effortless but much more goes into it than what is seen. Preparation and hours of hard work created the talents in Kim’s life. According to Kim, his style of work is inspired by his friend Vincent Cao and how optimized his preparation and work was, even while being involved in swimming.

“Something people don’t know about me is how much time that I put into the things that I consider myself successful in like DECA, my speaking abilities, debate and band,” Kim said. “I don’t think there’s a singular thing that I consider myself good at that I haven’t put a lot of work into.”

High school has helped Kim prepare for the future, as he said it is the best learning ground for failure and that you get the opportunity to mess up without consequences. Kim said that his experiences in high school will help set him up for success in college.

“I hope that people don’t remember me because of the things that I’ve done in this school but instead that the action and impacts that I made supersede my name,” Kim said. “I don’t need people to know who I am or to remember me, but I would love for the changes that I’ve made, the positive ones, to be able to stick.”