XLIS 2023 IBDP Graduates Interview Series – Minsang Kim

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Minsang Kim

The Self-Cultivation of an Honor Student

Studying at Xi’an Liangjiatan International School for 3.5 years

University Acceptances: KAIST

Major: Electrical Engineering

IBDP score: 42

 

“After successfully completing the entire IB Diploma course and preparing for my future journey in university, I’ve come to realize how much IB has contributed to my growth as an inquiring individual, beyond being just a student. The unique curriculum of IB, with its extra assignments such as EE, IAs, and TOK, provided me with abundant opportunities to explore the essence of learning, the interconnections between different concepts, and the application of knowledge in innovative ways. I haven’t come across any other curriculum that offers such enriching experiences. Thanks to the unwavering support from the XLIS community, I not only completed the IB course but also flourished as an inquirer.

 

To my juniors at XLIS, I’d like to leave a message: Embrace the fundamentals. While tips and tricks can be helpful, they hold little value without a solid understanding of the basics. Focus on grasping the concepts and teachings shared by your amazing teachers, as a strong foundation will equip you to tackle any type of question that comes your way. Tips and tricks may serve as street lamps, but it’s the fundamentals that will act as a guiding lantern, illuminating your path through every challenge. Stay curious and dedicated to your learning journey, and you’ll achieve great heights.”

——Minsang Kim

 

He is an exemplary student in every sense.

 

Last month, at the 2023 IB Diploma Programme Graduation Ceremony held at Xi’an Liangjiatan International School, Korean student Minsang Kim won a total of five academic awards, including the Business Management Award, Chemistry Award, Analysis and Approaches Math HL Award, Theory of Knowledge Award (English), and IB Learner Profile Award.

 

In the eyes of teachers, he is diligent and always puts his studies first. Among his peers, he is not only academically outstanding but also known for his gentle personality, helpfulness, love for sports, and rightfully earns the title of an all-around student. Recently, he took part in university interviews at esteemed institutions like the University of Cambridge in the UK, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the prestigious Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, with his preferred major, Electronic Engineering. While his classmates admire his achievements, this shy young man humbly admits that three years ago, he couldn’t have imagined achieving what he has today.

 

In January 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation, Minsang came to China with his parents for the first time. The unfamiliar environment, the threat of the virus, the vastly different International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum compared to the Korean educational system, and the transition to online learning all made the learning journey challenging for the 16-year-old newcomer. Among these challenges, language was the biggest obstacle.

 

“I had been studying in Korea before, and after coming to Xi’an Liangjiatan International School, I had to adapt to an all-English teaching system. Additionally, with the impact of the pandemic, we often had to attend online classes from home. All of this was challenging, and even understanding the course content was not easy at first.”

 

Although he had some basic English language skills before joining XLIS, the IB curriculum demands a higher level of English proficiency from students. “There are no shortcuts; I kept asking teachers and classmates for help and put in effort after class. It was a gradual process of improvement,” Minsang says. While there were some Korean students in his class, and communication with them was natural, he proactively tried to communicate more with his English-speaking peers to improve his language skills. Through these interactions, Minsang not only made significant progress in English but also developed friendships.

 

If the rapid improvement in English proficiency was driven by his environment, then his consistently excellent performance in the sciences stemmed from his passion from an early age.

 

Growing up in the highly competitive South Korean education system, Minsang rarely felt pressured by his parents regarding his studies. On the contrary, they encouraged him to explore his true interests. When they discovered his strong interest in robotics and electronic engineering, they actively enrolled him in robotics classes and youth programming training. After coming to Xi’an Liangjiatan International School, he readily joined the IT Club among many elective courses. Additionally, he voluntarily participated in the United States of America Computing Olympiad (USACO), an international competition that tests logical thinking and programming abilities.

 

“It’s a valuable experience that broadens my horizons. Winning or losing is not the most important; I focus on the experience gained and use it to find breakthroughs when tackling similar challenges next time,” says Minsang.

 

From 16 to 19 years old, the current Minsang is adept at “problem-solving.” When faced with various difficulties, he doesn’t avoid them but confronts them head-on, the only way he has learned to handle all issues on his path to growth. And all of this is thanks to the impact of the IB education philosophy on him over the past three years. 

“Before studying the IB programme at Xi’an Liangjiatan International School, I saw myself as an ordinary person without any special qualities. However, IB truly changed me in many ways, making me a person who dares to take risks, pursue new things, and challenge myself,” says Minsang. He believes that the most significant help from IB was establishing his unique thinking pattern, enabling him to exist, think, and grow as a distinct individual.

 

While building oneself as an individual is crucial, connecting that individuality to the broader world and offering solace to “distant cries” seems to add an even deeper significance to the “growing pains” experienced during the process of individual growth.

 

For Minsang, the first time he felt this profound meaning was when he received a plea for help from Uganda.

 

During the preparation for the MYP5 personal project exhibition, two students from Uganda, who were far away from their classmates, reached out to ask for assistance. They were facing a real predicament – due to a lack of water resources, the local villagers had been enduring difficulties in accessing water for basic survival. They wanted to build a well in the village, but a lack of funds delayed the project’s launch. After learning about their situation, Minsang immediately participated in the fundraising activities and created a promotional video for the personal project exhibition. With the collective efforts of the community, the students quickly raised enough funds to support their Ugandan peers, enabling the successful construction of the first well, effectively solving the villagers’ survival problems.

 

“It was just a small act, nothing extraordinary, but seeing how my contribution could help our distant companions in times of urgency felt really cool.”

 

Recently, he had an online meeting with the Ugandan students, where they chatted about their current situations. He learned that his peers are still working tirelessly to address public issues in their community. This inspired Minsang, “It seems that changing the world is not as distant as it might seem; it’s really fascinating.”

 

He is always good at recognizing the strengths and merits of each of his classmates but seldom talks about his own remarkable qualities. During our conversation, we noticed a detail – except for a few exceptions, for over 1000 days, Minsang has consistently shown up at the school gymnasium after school for exercise. When we asked about the reason for such persistence, he didn’t say much but simply smiled shyly, “It’s just a habit; it helps me relieve stress.”

 

Humble, reserved, self-disciplined, compassionate, and with a global outlook, in this brief interview, we discovered many shining qualities in Minsang, and this is just one aspect of his many outstanding traits. When these precious qualities become part of his daily life, a broader freedom will surely await him in the future.

 

May you bravely enjoy the world; best wishes to Minsang.

 

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Author:

Fancy Fan (Admin Officer)