My name is Joshua Kim, and I am in my 3rd year for my Ph.D program in Materials Science and Engineering. I am a Korean-American that has lived in many different places. I like to tell people that I am from Chicago even though I was born in South Carolina, but now I’m here in Southern California.
Many people don’t realize this, but UCI is located in the heart of what might be considered the ‘Silicon Valley’ of Southern California. There has been a huge influx of startup companies, particularly in the biomedical technology sector. In that sense, I’m really glad I’m here at UCI because of the many opportunities that await me (yes, the warm sunny weather makes me want to stay here and not go back to Chicago). More importantly, UCI is in a great area surrounded by so many attractions. There are so many places not too far from campus that students can go to unwind and release their stress such as the beach. The beach seems a bit cliché to native Californians, but coming from the Midwest, I can’t get enough of it. I don’t think I’ll ever take that for granted.”
– Caption by Joshua Kim.