Jihye Kim first arrived in America four years ago at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, and a woman she had never met approached her.
Kim thought the woman worked at the airport and assumed the woman was going to help her with her luggage.
“She asked me ‘Blah, blah,’ but I don’t understand everything,” Kim said. “She helped me bring everything and took me to my dorm.”
Travelling from her home in Seoul, South Korea, to the wheatfields of Pullman was a shock, and she had to put her trust in a stranger. She was scared, but excited, and found her confidence was well placed to begin at WSU.
Now, Kim has a strong grasp of English and an expanded knowledge of the violin and is set to get a Master of Arts degree in music at Spring Commencement 2025. Kim performed songs by Samuel Barber, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at her graduate recital on April 18, ahead of commencement.
That first year in Pullman, Kim focused most of her time on Academic English classes at the Intensive American Language Center. The IALC offers multiple levels of English classes to prepare students to study at WSU, creating a bridge to higher ed through English instruction. Kim and a group of several other international students bonded over the year they spent learning English together, despite none of her friends speaking Korean.
“I had friends that were Japanese, Omani, and from France.” She said. “I like that day, no one is good at English, so sometimes we using translation of Japanese, then to Korean. It’s a really cool memory.”
Kim said she and her fellow IALC students spent nearly every minute together, many sharing the same dorm (McEachern), the same meal and class times, doing homework, and going to the Student Recreation Center together. Now, her friends are busy with their diverse study subjects, but over the years, they have all made time once a week to meet up for lunch on campus at Panda Express.
“We set Panda days,” she said. “We promise once a week meeting at lunch time.”
Kim started playing violin at 6 years old, which ignited a passion for music inspired by her grandfather, who played and taught music. Kim said she practices 5 to 6 hours per day out of class. She said she loves to practice and watch her skills improve, something she wants to confer on to future students and teach music as a career post-graduation.
Kim said many people helped her achieve her degree. That first year, when she was primarily studying English, her teacher, School of Music Assistant Professor of Violin and Viola Christiano Rodrigues, also encouraged her to practice with him.
“Professor Rodrigues is very careful to me,” she said. “He is an amazing teacher, very passionate and supportive. I have grown so much as a musician under his guide.”
Rodrigues said Kim showed an initial curiosity and has continued to improve despite cultural barriers like learning English. He said he used to often draw things on paper to communicate a point to Kim. Rodrigues said the music community at WSU and Kim’s classmates encouraged her along.
“They would often help her with understanding homework, and a few of them, though American-born, were also fluent in Korean,” Rodrigues said. “It was a beautiful thing to see … her growth with English is in unison with her growth as a musician, and I hope she will continue on that upwards trajectory as she navigates this next phase of her life.”
Rodrigues, originally from Brazil, is keenly aware of the challenges non-native English speakers face in higher ed, but added that it can also be advantageous to have to work harder than your peers.
“Make no mistake, what she has achieved is truly remarkable,” he said. “The intensity of the lessons and delivery of information was exactly the same as it is for everyone else. Again, I am proud that Jihye measured up to the challenge, and I know she will continue to succeed.”
Kim said trying to better her skills as a musician and improve her English were each challenging, but music was definitely harder. If you make a mistake in conversation, it’s usually a low-stakes faux pas that can be remedied by asking for help explaining something. A mistake in music can derail a whole song.
“When I started performing and miss the time, it’s a big mistake,” Kim said. “But in English you can say “Oh, I’m sorry, can you say one more time?’ In music (performance), there is not one more time.”
Kim is extremely thankful to all the people who supported her during her time at WSU. Her instructors, family, friends in Pullman, and friends in Korea all helped her succeed.
“My father always supported me doing violin, and my mom always care and call me. My sister, she really loves me, she is everyday calling me,” Kim said.