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Kim

Hi, my name is Kim My Curtin; I am Vietnamese, and my name is not Kimberly. Almost 18 years old, I am the middle child out of three girls and was adopted as an infant into a racially diverse family. Reading scary/mystery books is a favorite pasttime, and my favorite author is Stephen King. Even though I have cerebral palsy, I played basketball in ninth grade. In addition, I"ll go primitive camping any time of the year because it gives me some time away from civilization to create my own trail of thoughts and activities.

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." --Ralph Waldo Emerson"

The above quote best sums up my attitude, because I don't want to follow everyone else in life. I want to be an individual who finds my own dreams and pursue them. Although I want to become an engineer, the specific area of engineering is still one I am exploring.

My favorite subject, as I enter my senior year at Haverford High School, is math. I like to solve challenging problems, and I try to bring that love of problem solving to everything in which I am involved. This past year I was inducted into the National Honors Society, a group that values character, academic performance, leadership, and community service.

An activity that I think helps my perspective towards my favorite quote is feeding the homeless. My church feeds the homeless once a month at a shelter in Delaware County, and I help in this program by cooking the food or serving it at the shelter. This gives me a chance to get to know the people in my community, so I can serve them better. Very soon, in order to achieve my Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouts, I want to take charge of the planning the whole event for the month.

As a member of Girl Scouts, another organization that places emphasis on qualities of character, I have had many opportunities that no other association gives young girls. This summer I attended a Wider Opportunity. This is a chance for Girl Scouts all over the country, or sometimes all over the world, to take part in a unique experience tailored to their specific interests such as mine which was for young women in science and technology. Being asked to participate in the Young Women of NASA Advisory Council was a result of my Wider Op experience. This has strengthened my belief that Girl Scouts is an excellent vehicle for young women today. I look forward to the opportunity to interest other girls like myself in science, engineering and space.

Read more about my trip to Kennedy Space Center and the STS-106 launch in my STS-106 Launch Adventures.

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