December 12, 2019
We highlight how these three young alumni are involved in campus life during their first year of college. For more on alumni, click here to read the December 2019 Alumni News.
Joosung Kim, Cornell University
When Joosung Kim ‘19 stepped on stage in the Louisa Performing Arts Center during the school’s Revue, you were ready to be wowed. The flash of his smile and vocal abilities matched his strength in the classroom and moves on the soccer field. After moving to college, Joosung noticed that Cornell University had a vibrant a cappella community. In fact, Cornell has 14 different a cappella groups. The audition process is extremely competitive. Joosung auditioned and managed to get into his top choice a cappella group, The Chordials. Music is taken very seriously by this group, and over the years the Chordials have released 10 albums. They rehearse three times a week for seven hours a week. The Chordials performed 15 songs in their set at the fall concert. In addition to singing, Joosung is playing intramural soccer. His passion for music is leading him to consider majoring in music. During first semester his course load even included Opera and the Psychology of Music.
Payton Malone, Emory University’s Oxford College
Payton Malone ‘19 (fourth from the left) started at Emory University’s Oxford College this fall. The Oxford College, 30 miles outside of the Atlanta campus, focuses its attention on liberal arts undergraduate courses for first- and second-year students. Oxford College enables students to be active right away with community service groups, interest clubs, and social clubs. Payton is serving on the Executive Boards for the Jewish Student Union, Oxford Yoga Society, and Photography Club. She is also a member of the general body for Climate Reality and Volunteer Oxford. With Volunteer Oxford in October, she traveled to Harlan, Kentucky, for an alternative fall break. While doing service, her team learned about the coal industry and its impact on the local economy. Of course, Payton has a full and diverse course load, including Chemistry (structures and properties of atoms), Learning to Lead, OxStudies, Introduction to Logic, Introduction to Microeconomics, and Discovery Seminar on Art History for Fakes, Forgeries, and Finances of Museums. With all of these classes, she has decided to major in Psychology on a pre-dental track and possibly minor in Art History. She is even working as a lifeguard. If Payton packed this much purposeful involvement into first semester, we can’t wait to see what she accomplishes throughout college and beyond.
Luke Williams, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Luke Williams ‘19 is studying computer engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He knew he would dive into STEM classes as he loves mathematics, physics, and anything intellectually challenging. The school also requires all engineering students to advance through a humanities track, which will position him to earn a minor in Economics. Outside of his rigorous course load, Luke teamed up with a group of students for HackRPI, a 24-hour hackathon which helps attendees develop their skills, explore new technologies, and turn their curiosities and visions into opportunities. The theme of the hackathon was “Why not change the world?” and included special tracks in Natural Disaster and Mitigation, Artificial Intelligence, and Accessibility in Education. The goal was to tackle current problems in tech facing our world today. Luke is also active with RPI’s esports team for the Counterstrike Global Offensive. And to no surprise, this former Kodiak athlete and thespian is also playing club soccer and plans to be on stage in RPI’s spring production of Fiddler on the Roof.
