Senior of the Year: Selim Kim

By JADE YOO ‘27

It is a dark winter night. The Goel Center for Theater and Dance looms in the dark as a gray square block, standing still in the middle of the night, but illuminated by the light shining through the window. From the outside, you can see the members of Exeter’s Dance Company streaming out of the building one by one, chatting with each other, as the 6 p.m. bell rings in the distance. The dancers, after a tiring afternoon of dancing, rush to Elm. However, Selim Kim can not stay for long. She waves goodbye to the company. After grabbing a quick dinner, rushes to the EPAC basement to practice Mock Trial with the A team, warmly greeted with smiles and hugs. Kim confidently leads the team as they practice cross examinations and speeches for incoming tournaments. This is a typical afternoon in the life of Kim. 

Kim, who comes from Plano, TX, is a four-year senior and proctor in New Hall. She has taken advantage of much of Exeter’s opportunities. She is involved in various dance groups throughout campus, such as Imani and POMS, and is a member of Exeter’s Dance Company. She also is a Cohead and Team Leader of Mock Trial, which she has been participating in since lower year. She was also previously a writer for The Exonian, even reaching the position of news editor during her upper year. She is also a core member of a club called ESSO Shatika. She spent her Senior Spring in DC, participating in Exeter’s Washington Intern Program. Beebadoobee, Laufey, IU, Korean R&B artists, and Lana Del Rey are sighted often on her Spotify playlists. She also has an adorable white maltese named Coco whom she loves a lot. 

Something that Kim continued to love from home was dance. Dance was and still is an integral part of Kim’s life. and other dance groups. Kim started dancing from a young age, saying, “I actually started dancing when I was in kindergarten”. She then had a pause from dancing but picked it up again in 4th grade. From 4th to 7th grade, her dance career was very ballet-focused. She went to a very ballet intensive studio that was focused on Balanchine styles, and was very serious. So from that point, ballet was one of the biggest parts of her life. Kim recalled, “ From that point, that was my biggest thing and I really wanted to make ballet a big extracurricular thing for me. So, that meant doing summer intensives and Nutcracker was a big part of my life for a while.” 

However, halfway through seventh grade, Kim realized she didn’t really enjoy ballet anymore. She “felt that it was too rigid and restricting, and decided to quit and start hip hop from 7th to 8th grade. I felt that in hip hop, I was in a group-focused, supportive community, and loved how everything from formations to movements are all dependent on the group and team I’m in.”

She was in a competitive hip hop team near her town. She always did dance since she was little, but always experimented a lot with the type of dance she does, trying Korean fan dancing in the past for a while as well. She did that since 2nd grade and she’s still with the same group of people she had been doing it with since second grade. Dancing was always a big part of Kim’s life. She described, “it’s really showed me a lot how to express myself and think creatively. I think having all these different backgrounds of fan dancing, ballet and hip hop has inspired me so that when I’m creating choreography, I don’t really stick to a specific genre, but also experiment with different fluidities and things like that.” 

The dance teachers at Exeter also recognize Kim’s versatility and excelling abilities as a dancer and company member. Amberlee Darling, an Instructor in Dance, had great things to say about Kim, such as that, “Selim is exactly who she is in any given situation and knows what she brings to the table.  On a dance level, she is a gorgeous mover, but also unique and talented storyteller through her choreography. I am constantly in awe of her creativity and ability to showcase, not only what she does best, but creates movement that allows her cast members to shine.”

Instructor in Dance Samm Wesler said, “She demands 100 percent of herself, no matter what it is. It could be a warmup, it could be class choreography, her DC internship— whatever it is, Selim is going to commit herself 100 percent.”

Similarly, Instructor in Dance Allison Sarage said, “She has a reserved focus. She doesn’t draw a lot of attention to herself, but she’s always been really great to work with as a student collaborator and student leader. 

All three teachers described her iconic performance as the Queen Of Hearts in the Dance Company’s production of Alice in Wonderland. Sarage reminisces, “When we did Alice in Wonderland two years ago, we auditioned for several of the lead roles, and Selim was a lower. Still kind of new, but not a senior that you may expect to give a lead role too. But when she auditioned for the Queen of Hearts in that production, we were really impressed with her audition and the way she just commanded the space. And so we cast her as the Queen of Hearts and she nailed it.” 

Darling added similar comments, saying, “ There was no one else that shone as bright as she did in casting the role of the queen of hearts. We knew then that she was going to be a showstopper.” 

Wesler additionally mentioned, “We pretty much knew instantly during the audition that it had to be her and really kind of created the character around her and really seeing her come into her own, I believe it was her lower year, and watching her really step up and portray this really confident character, and it really showed us how capable and amazing she was.” 

All of the dance teachers had countless compliments about Kim’s abilities as a dancer and as a and leader in the dance space. They all expressed how they wish she continues dancing, since her dancing is truly like no other. She also is part of a lot of various dance groups at Exeter. For instance, Imani and Poms are both dance clubs that she’s been a part of since prep year. She said, “those are instances in which I was really lucky to find a club that fosters a close sense of community. I really love both clubs just ‘cause of how my previous co-heads and currently with my other fellow co-heads, like we try to create a community that where everyone just supports each other and whenever you present new choreography, everyone hypes it up and everyone is able to add on to it or develop it further.” 

Not only is Kim an incredible dancer, but she is also a Cohead and A Team Leader of Exeter’s Mock Trial team, ranked ninth in the nation. Mock Trial is one of Kim’s biggest passions, defining much of her Exeter career. The biggest thing Kim looks for in activities is the sort of communities she finds. 

She stated, “What really attracted me to Mock Trial was the fact that it has a really tight knit and well developed community. From the moment that I tried out my sophomore year, that was something that emphasized. They’re said, oh, you’re spending so much time with these same group of people, but because you’re spending so much time with them, you also become really great friends with them and they learn to support you and you learn to develop as a public speaker and you learn to develop logically through working with other people. And so, I think the reason why I’ve stuck with mock trial so much was because of the community. And I found a lot of my current community and my current friends through mock trial. I like the fact that it really challenges you.” 

She mentioned some specific parts she really enjoys in Mock Trial, explaining, “You deal with the most absurd fictional cases sometimes about some murder or some robbery or some negligence case, whatever. And just being able to spend two hours every day talking with other people, brainstorming different ideas. Learning about actual laws that are in place that are being used in the court system and being able to bring that all together in a cohesive presentation is something that I really enjoy doing. And I think it’s not only helped develop the way that I think both in terms of the way I think logically and the way that I develop arguments, but it’s also just exposed me to so many people. I’ve met a lot of my close upperclassmen friends through mock trial, my underclassmen friends through mock trial, and my current friends do mock trial.”

 Kim’s Mock Trial companions described how this passion for Mock Trial shines through in practices, tournaments, and more. Kai Gowda, a prep on the Mock Trial A Team, said, “I admire how passionate Kim is about the things that she is committed to. In Mock Trial, Kim is always on top of things and is prepared for the meetings.” He described how she is not only a skilled teammate, but also a compassionate person, explaining, “I remember how kind she was to me when I first met her. She complimented me on how well I did during tryouts and how I was welcome on the team. Since I have been on the team, Selim has continued to show kindness and leadership.”

 CJ Smith, a current upper on the team, had similar praise to share about Kim’s abilities, describing, “I initially met Selim when I was on C team of Mock Trial my lower year. We had arranged to do a “scrimmage” with A team where we would run crosses with their witnesses and vice-versa. I remember Selim ran her cross, and my first impression was that she was an outstanding public speaker and was not someone I wanted to go up against during trial. Unfortunately, that ended up happening in C team’s last round at State Finals last year when we went up against A team. She kept making well-argued objections through my entire direct examination, and I got very off track and flustered. That first impression has stayed true until now. I was on Selim’s team at Yale and on A team this year with her, and she’s always very prepared and poised for trial. Her ability to always keep her cool no matter how difficult a witness is or how poorly a trial may be going inspires me to do the same during trial.” He also complimented her leadership on the team, saying, “people should know that she’s a great leader and really knows how to bring people together and highlight their strengths to make sure that they can work effectively as a team.”

Ethan Benenson, a lower on Mock Trial, also agreed with her leadership capabilities, adding, “This team really mattered to her and she showed that at every meeting. She is someone who holds herself to a very high standard and uplifts the people around her as she works toward it, and I can’t wait to compete at Nationals with her in May.” 

Lauren Lee, also a lower on Mock Trial, added that she is not only a fierce leader, but a humane sister figure to her. She mentioned, “She was doing college apps and writing the 333, but she still reached out to help me. I’m the oldest of three, I’ve never had an older sister, but to have someone take me under their wing and someone who has had very similar lived experiences to do that for me, you know, it’s truly something I appreciate and I think about all the time.” 

Lee also added, “Debate, mock trial, even the field of history and the capacity that I’ve interacted with it before, it’s been a very male dominated field. And the women that are in that field often are told to be quiet, to make themselves less assertive, especially Asian women, to have a position in those fields. And Selim showed me that you don’t have to sacrifice any part of your identity and your individuality to succeed. She showed me that with her sheer will, with her intellect, she’s able to get to such high places in life and to succeed. And, you know, I truly believe that she will go on to do great things and I’m so glad that she’s kind of taken me under her wing and supported me through my two years here so far.”

Sophie Wagner, an upper on Mock Trial, described the inspiring figure Kim is to the Mock Trial Team, saying, “Selim was there to remind everyone to just do their best, and helped whoever she could to prepare and find their confidence before the trial. Selim’s commitment definitely inspires me. Between classes and clubs at Exeter, it can get overwhelming at times, but Selim is definitely an example of remaining to consistently put your best foot forward even when it feels undoable.”

Colin Jung, a senior on Mock Trial, poignantly described his experience and viewpoint after doing Mock Trial with Kim for such a long time. He expressed, “Selim’s Mock Trial ability is spectacular, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Rarely have I ever seen a lawyer with as much poise, confidence, intellect and instinct, who understands so naturally the performative aspect of advocacy, whose delivery has such depth and color that it gives a certain gravitas to every word she said. As her teammate, I could always trust that a cross-examination or statement delivered by Selim would be strong, and as her adversary, I spent hours upon hours specifically planning out how to address and neutralize her exceptional talent. There are few others about whom I could say the same. Indeed, I can say with all confidence that Selim is the most talented lawyer in the Mock Trial program right now.”

“Besides this, Selim is a consummate competitor—gracious both in victory and defeat,” Jung continued. “Both last year, when my team defeated hers, and this year, when her team defeated mine, Selim maintained her characteristic grace and poise inside and outside the courtroom. Mock Trial can be competitive and intense, but Selim is the rare individual who can at once thrive in that competitive atmosphere, but who also does not lose track of what really matters--the health of the program at large, the development of younger students and setting an example and a standard regarding sportsmanship and class.” All of her teammates only had amazing things to describe Kim’s abilities as both a teammate and a friend.

Kim also is passionate about her ESSO Club, ESSO Shatika. ESSO stands for Exeter Student Service Organization, and it is a group of clubs focused on giving back to the community. ESSO Shatika is a club that partners with this organization in India and it’s all about connecting girls who’ve been victims of sex trafficking or child marriages to gain an access towards higher education. Kim described, “Even with the small community that Shatika is, we’re able to connect with a broader community in India and do things such as pen pal programs or  cultural exchanges. So I think in every single extracurricular or club that I devoted my time to, I stick with it because of the communities that I’m able to find and communities that are able to support me.”

Kim is not only skilled with her extracurriculars and clubs, but she is also an exceptional student. Kim described her academic journey, explaining, “Before Exeter I took everything at face value. So if I read something or if I was given some sort of reading to do for class, it would just be this happened and that’s it. But after coming to Exeter and after experiencing the Harkness method for a little bit and just being able to connect with all these different teachers who encourage me to go beyond the text, I think I’ve learned to not take everything at face value and consider other possibilities and consider rebuttal points to things I read. And so in terms of my thinking, I’d say that it’s changed a lot after coming to Exeter.” 

Kim realized her passion for history and 

humanities at Exeter. Something she wanted to achieve at Exeter was discovering something that she felt confident in and excited to pursue. She believed she was able to discover that through Exeter. Kim came into Exeter thinking she would be STEM based. However, she realized that she was more of a history and humanities person, which she credits to Instructor in History Leah Merrill. 

Kim remembered, “The moment we had our first discussion, I was just completely enamored by the way that history can be thought about. Because in middle school history was really just about memorizing dates and concepts, like what date did the American Revolution happen? But, she actually encouraged me to think about history as something that’s living and breathing and something that can be interacted with in real time. So she would always pull in actual narratives or actual oral interviews when we’re learning about history and when we’re learning about something as old as the Italian renaissance. She would ask us to really think about what overarching values define an era and how those era and those values are defining an era trickle down to the next era. And then how that trickles down to the modern day and how that comes to impact the way that we live. And I think being able to realize that history is something so tangible and something that can be so exciting was just like a really big moment for me.” 

“I love history,” Kim continued. “I love being able to read about how people thought in the past and how the way people thought about certain institutions, certain expectations, certain roles either persist or change throughout time. And I’m also really interested to see what made those things change.” This displays Kim’s passion and love for the subject. She said that ever since then, she’s been a big history kid, who’s “tried to take as many history courses as possible and throughout her time” and discovered she’s especially passionate about women’s history. She created her own HIS999 course this term about women’s history, which was about women’s work throughout history but specifically with a focus on women’s work when centered on their bodies. 

Instructor in History Liza Williams, Kim’s adviser for the HIS999 course, said, “Selim is boundlessly curious and loves learning for its own sake.  One of the attributes I most admire in Selim as a student is that she cares about finding out the truth of ideas, rather than merely getting work done to complete it. In the classroom, she is both self-effacing and confident. She has a way of quickly putting complex topics into perspective, thinking about the ways her conclusions about history can be made actionable, and finding ways to engage others in questions of contemporary social justice.  All of this she does without pretense or a sense of entitlement.” 

Williams described that she received an email from Kim in April 2023, asking if she’d help her design a field study on a global history of women’s work. At the time, she was “teaching at The George Washington University, and wasn’t certain [she] wanted to take this advising project on at Phillips Exeter. Over the course of several emails and in person conversations, Selim persuaded [her] that designing a History 999 and working with her would be worth it: not only did she convince [her] of this, but she was right.  It’s been a highlight of [her] year teaching this 999 to Selim as well as others in the Class of 2024.” 

Not only is Kim a significant figure around campus, but also. a kind friend inside and out of the dorm. Kim mentioned some of her favorite memories with her friends, from going to the beach with her friends, where they would chill on the beach and eat snacks and talk to late night conversations with her friends. She recalled, “There’s so many moments where we’ve just ranted to each other for hours and it’s those little moments like being in each other’s rooms, being in each other’s company, and just talking that are my favorite moments.” One specific memory that stuck out to Kim was when she read her meditation in the church, all of her friends were there in the audience. And afterwards, because her meditation was about something really personal, all of her friends were crying and hugging her, saying how proud they were of the fact that she was willing to share something so vulnerable with everybody else. 

She reflected, “that was the pure culmination of all those years of friendship and all those years of us supporting each other and helping us grow. The fact that they were all there watching my meditation and comforting me afterwards was just such a heartwarming moment and something that I think about a lot often.” She was in the same circle of friends for all four years, so they stuck to each other through the highs and lows, comforting each other, and helping each other thrive. 

Kim’s friends have a lot to say about her, including her love for pickles. Senior Calista Lee said, “She’s very self-aware. She’s very honest and she’s very genuine.” She also added, “I think she gives, she definitely gives out the air of being like, someone very prim and proper and smart, which she is. But she’s also silly and she’s fun and she’s very nice.” 

Emi Levine, also a senior, had very positive remarks about Kim as well, saying, “As I said before, I admire Selim’s sense of humor greatly. It is one of the things that makes it so easy and enjoyable to be her friend. However, one thing I also admire, maybe more than anything else, is Selim’s drive. Selim is one of if not the most driven person I know. She holds herself to an incredibly high standard which I think is a very admirable quality. And not only does she hold herself to this standard but she meets it. She is an amazing student, a dedicated club leader, but most of all, a great friend.” Levine stated in addition to that, “Selim is many things… But most of all, she is a caring friend, one who wants to make those around her feel supported and loved. Being Selim’s friend has shown me who I want to be in the future — I want to be like Selim.” Senior Jenna Wang, another one of Kim’s friends who is a senior, expressed, “Selim’s hardworking nature, determination, and lighthearted personality inspire me every day. At Exeter, sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated with everything that goes on, but seeing Selim so passionate about her interests and working so hard towards her goals, makes me remember why I love the things I do. She also inspires me to see the silver lining in things. She always bounces back and keeps a positive attitude.”. Inside the dorm, as a proctor, Kim is very responsible. Wang pointed out, “She’s also always open to helping people in the dorm, even if she has to put her work away for a while to do so, which I know they really appreciate and I really admire!” Kim explained how she has her own dorm friend group, and loves everyone in her dorm. It is clear everyone in her dorm loves her as well!

Right now, Kim is embarking on her journey in the Washington Intern Program. During the program, students join the staff of a U.S. senator or representative as a full-time intern and get an insider’s view of life on Capitol Hill. While daily tasks may start out small, students eventually gain access to mentors in the political world, attend hearings, handle correspondence, or even brief aides and elected officials on important issues. For more than 50 years, the Washington Intern Program has helped Exeter seniors see how the legislative branch works, while living and learning in the nation’s capital. Kim thought it was inspiring to actively be a part of an office that’s creating legislation, that’s listening to constituents and trying to figure out what concerns you can address through legislation. 

Though there are all of the achievements and incredible characteristics of Kim featured in the article, at the end of the day, Kim loves family time. On a cozy evening during break, Kim relaxes on her living room couch, snuggled with her family and Coco. She watches the Korean reality show playing on the screen, and smiles to herself.