Best of Bluff: Success runs in Kim family

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, brothers Isidor and Paul Kim blazed a trail of academic success at Poplar Bluff High School.

Isidor and Paul graduated first in their respective classes, while both were members of National Honor Society and also were Star Graduates.

Pictured at Boston College. from left, are: Alyssa, Christina, Soo and Isidor Kim.Photo provided

More than that, both have continued to excel since graduating from PBHS, including both brothers graduating from Harvard.

Isidor currently works as an international business consultant in the St. Louis area after several years of practicing law, while Paul is a psychiatrist based in Kansas City.

Isidor and Paul’s parents, Dr. Chul and Martha Kim, left South Korea for the United States — and specifically, Pittsburgh — in the early 1970s, where their father completed his training to be a physician.

“My parents immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1972 with a 1-year-old child (Isidor) and my mom was pregnant with me at that time,” Paul said. “They flew internationally with all their belongings in two suitcases. They moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so my dad could do his medical residency and fellowship. They had no family in the United States. They knew very few people. They didn’t speak English fluently. They had two young children. They faced undreamed-of struggles and often felt overwhelmed.

“My parents are the hardest workers I know and that contributed to their success. Part of it was out of necessity — failure was simply not an option. If something didn’t turn out well, they had no family or friends to bail them out. They simply had to keep trying and never give up.”

The Kims moved to Poplar Bluff in 1978, where Dr. Kim had his own medical practice until shortly before his death in 2018.

“My parents always told Paul and me how lucky we were to grow up in America,” Isidor said. “My parents believed that as long as you worked hard and tried to get along with people, you could make a good life for yourself in the U.S., no matter who you were or where you came from. My parents had great relationships with many of their patients and often said that Americans were the most generous people in the world — even though my parents didn’t grow up in the U.S. and spoke English with a foreign accent, patients trusted them with their health, and that trust made a huge impact on my parents. Their positive mentality and hard work inspired me to dream big.”

And dream big Isidor and Paul did.

“Before I even started kindergarten, I knew I wanted to go to Harvard and become a doctor,” Paul said. “What was even more remarkable was that at age 5, I was confident that these goals would come true. Along the way, my parents always encouraged, pushed, and supported me.”

__Uncharted Ivy League waters__

__‘It also seemed — at least to the intimidated 18-year-old I was then — that I was a nobody surrounded by the scions of the famous and wealthy’__

Isidor was the first to graduate from PBHS, sharing valedictorian honors with Nathan Kalich (a member of another successful academic family) in 1989. From there, Isidor went to Harvard and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history and literature in 1993.

“At first, I found Harvard to be intimidating, especially in the pre-internet world in which our generation grew up,” Isidor said. “It would have been nice if we had the internet growing up, so I could have learned more about Harvard and gotten to know some of my classmates before matriculating. It felt surreal at the beginning, walking past places I’d only seen in movies or on TV and taking classes from Nobel Laureate professors. It also seemed — at least to the intimidated 18-year-old I was then — that I was a nobody surrounded by the scions of the famous and wealthy: a great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, the son of a world-famous Russian writer, daughters of famous Senators, and a guy who had the Roman numeral VII after his name. It took some time, but I adjusted.”

__Finding success__

__‘But I feel ... so blessed that I had many people in Poplar Bluff who encouraged and helped me...’__

Isidor credits the encouragement and advice he received from his parents, former teachers and members of his church (Sacred Heart Catholic Church) and his friends for helping navigate those uncharted waters.

“I realized that many students at Harvard were like me — from public schools in non-famous places who were just as intimidated at first as I was,” Isidor said. “After I grew more confident, I enjoyed my experience at Harvard. I also learned how to think on my feet more quickly, ask questions without being embarrassed about my ignorance, and listen carefully to other people, especially those who think differently than I.

“Looking back, I could have gained these valuable skills at many other colleges and be who I am now. But I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to go to Harvard, and so blessed that I had many people in Poplar Bluff who encouraged and helped me to go there. It made me set high goals for myself from a young age and continuously challenged me, making me stronger and more confident.”

After graduating Harvard, Isidor did not go straight to law school. Wanting to explore his family roots, he returned to South Korea, working in Seoul for a few years before returning to the U.S. and graduating from Boston University School of Law in 1999. Isidor worked as an attorney in Atlanta for 14 years before moving back to Missouri in 2013, where he is now an international business consultant.

“During much of my 14 years of practicing law, I focused on business litigation,” Isidor said. “However, I learned that I enjoyed connecting people through business opportunities more than litigating disputes. My background and experience as a lawyer continue to be valuable, and I’m glad I went to law school and practiced law.”

Isidor and his wife, Soo — who is a classical pianist — live in the St. Louis area and have two daughters who are also successful. Alyssa, 23, is in law school at the University of Southern California and is an Honors Scholar, while Christine, 20, is a junior at Boston College and is a member of the Eagles’ cheerleading squad.

__Brothers on a shared path__

__‘It never got old simply talking with people, hearing different perspectives, learning about different backgrounds, and finding people who shared the same passions as me.’__

Meanwhile, Paul followed his brother to Harvard in 1991 and majored in biology, taking the first step toward becoming a doctor.

“I loved Harvard,” Paul said. “I feel extremely fortunate to have been a student there. I met people from all over the United States and around the world. I enjoy interacting with people who are passionate about something. At Harvard, nearly everyone I met was passionate not only about learning and intellectual pursuits, but also about something outside of academia, like music, art, activism, traveling, sports, acting, politics, etc. It never got old simply talking with people, hearing different perspectives, learning about different backgrounds, and finding people who shared the same passions as me.”

While at Harvard, Paul was active in four of the school’s vocal groups, including the Harvard Glee Club and The Harvard Din and Tonics.

“The Glee Club is a 60-person all-male choir,” Paul said. “We performed major concerts at least twice a year and traveled to other colleges performing with other college choirs. Every spring break, we traveled to different parts of the U.S. giving performances. After my second year of college, we went on a three-week concert tour of East Asia.

“I sang with The Harvard Din and Tonics my third and fourth years of college. ‘The Dins’ were a 15-person all-male acappella singing group. We sang professionally 2-3 times a week throughout the school year for corporate gatherings, meetings, conventions, parties, school activities, and sporting events. We traveled to nearby colleges regularly as guest performers at concerts. The proceeds from these performances allowed us go to Bermuda annually for spring break and perform around the world on our biennial world tours.”

__Finding the right dream__

__‘I realized I wasn’t passionate about Internal Medicine... I remember feeling lost when I came to that realization.’__

Like Isidor, Paul took a few years off between Harvard and his postgraduate studies. He lived with Isidor in Boston and worked in biomedical research at Harvard Medical School, which invigorated his desire to continue pursuing his dream of being a doctor.

“I didn’t know where I wanted to go to medical school,” Paul said. “I was interested in going back to Missouri to be close to my parents. My father introduced me to Dr. Dorothy Munch, a doctor in Poplar Bluff. She graduated from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCOM) in Kirksville, Missouri.

“I enjoyed getting to know her and became interested in osteopathic medicine. I spent a year doing research at KCOM in the Physiology Department. I grew to love the school and the people there.”

While attending KCOM, Paul met his wife, Lily — which he describes as “the best part” of his time in med school. And while doing his clinical rotations at KCOM, he found his love of psychiatry.

“I began medical school with the intention of going into Internal Medicine,” Paul said. “When I started doing clinical rotations in the third year of med school, I realized I wasn’t passionate about Internal Medicine.

“I remembered my dad going into work early every morning and returning home after dinner most nights. He was able to do that day after day, year after year because he was passionate about his job and loved what he did. I remember feeling lost when I came to that realization.

“Fortunately, my next clinical rotation was psychiatry. I had no interest in psychiatry before I the rotation. Halfway through, I found myself looking forward to going in each day. I enjoyed taking the time to talk with patients and getting to know them. I found that I was skilled at helping people simply by talking with them and spending time with them.”

__The strongest foundation__

__‘For me, family has always been the foundation upon which everything develops — love, faith, relationships, academics, and work.’__

Both Paul and Lily (who is a pediatrician) did their residencies at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine, and they have since settled in the Kansas City area. Paul did clinical work at the state psychiatric hospital affiliated with UMKC and taught medical students and psychiatry residents for a few years. He is currently in private practice as a tele-psychiatrist and is contracted to work remotely with a clinic in Michigan.

“The adjustment to treating patients through telemedicine was easier than I expected,” Paul said. “My favorite part is my commute — I walk downstairs and turn right into my office! Plus, I enjoy walking my two daughters to their bus stop each morning and being home when my three kids come home from school.”

Paul and Lily have three children, a son in high school and two daughters in elementary school.

“Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been tough for everyone, it made me realize how truly lucky I am that the five of us genuinely enjoy being with each other,” Paul said. “We love playing games, watching movies, going on hikes, and traveling together. We are all Disney fans and enjoy going to Walt Disney World at least once a year and visiting Lily’s extended family in California whenever we can. I feel lucky that my mom and Isidor and his family are nearby in St. Louis. For me, family has always been the foundation upon which everything develops — love, faith, relationships, academics, and work.”