Olivia Kim ’25 is from Singapore and has lived there since she was five years old. She began searching for high schools in the United States after seeking a change. “I was feeling island fever,” she says, describing the restlessness of growing up in a small, structured environment. “It’s basically when you’ve been on an island too long. You start feeling isolated, even hopeless.” What drew her to Concord Academy was not just the academics but the sense of freedom. “My old school back at home was very restricting. I felt very trapped in Singapore, so I was like, I need to go somewhere else where I know I can be true to myself without being afraid to be myself,” she explains.
Kim’s first love was theatre, a passion that she traces back to her mom. “My mom really loves theatre and the stage for performances, so I always want to go see things with her, like plays, musicals, [and] comedy shows.” She joined tech theatre in sixth grade because she felt shy and did not want to act, but still wanted to be part of a production. The pandemic paused her early theatre experiences, but CA reignited that spark. To her, “Theatre..combines maths and arts and sciences and you need to use all five of your senses…it's a very immersive, very human experience to be involved in the theatre.” Kim also notes the incredibly talented and passionate people that she gets to work with. She says that it is inspiring to collaborate with those who care as much as she does.
Beyond theatre, Kim loves writing, playing the drums, and performing in bands with her friends. One of her favorite CA memories is performing “Out of the Black” by Royal Blood for her friend Xavi West ’25’s chapel. “It was my first time, I guess, properly performing for people. [It was] probably the biggest audience that I've had, and it was just super fun,” she remembers. Kim hopes more people use CA’s musical programs to the fullest and take up the percussion classes offered.
When Kim talks about CA, she feels seen. “At my old school, no one really knew anyone. [Here] I'm very seen as an individual and as a student. I'm seen in all the ways that I want to be seen..I feel that CA has somehow managed to cultivate all of my different aspects of myself. I'm grateful that CA has let me explore so many new passions and old passions.”
Furthermore, Kim describes boarding life as an amazing experience. She lived with a roommate for three years before moving into a single as a senior. “ I love the boarding community; it feels like a very tight group of people. It feels very special to me. I feel like this bond that we have is just something very special that can't really be replicated.” Coming into boarding life as a freshman, Kim remembers being very nervous because it was her first time away from home, and she did not know what she was heading into. However, once she met many of her friends and housemates, she realized that she had been overthinking and would be just fine.
After CA, Kim hopes to find a college with the same flexibility and creative energy. “CA has set the bar high for me,” she says. I hope Kim enjoys her last year at Concord Academy and wish for great things ahead for her.