Hello, everyone! My name is Elleen Kim, and I was born in Saipan of the Northern Mariana Islands, a small island that is a U.S. territory. However, I mainly grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and Katy, Texas which is basically a suburb of Houston. I lived in Boston for about seven years and then moved to Katy the summer before fourth grade and have lived there ever since. I would have to say that both places feel like home for me because I've spent roughly half of my life in each place.
As a Korean American, I grew up speaking Korean and English with my parents. Then in eighth grade, I began taking Spanish to fulfill my school language requirement. I soon discovered that I loved studying Spanish and learning all about Spanish-speaking cultures. I was fascinated by all the cultural doors Spanish could open for me, and I soon realized that I wanted to become fluent in the language some day.
I took every Spanish course my school district offered from eighth grade all the way to 12th grade. When I became a college student at Boston College, I renewed my commitment to Spanish by declaring a minor in Hispanic Studies to deep my understanding of Hispanic cultures and the Spanish language.
This fall marks my eighth year studying Spanish, and it is still challenging.
