Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
DG: Where are you from?
Kim: Morristown, NJ
DG: How did you hear about Swat?
Kim: I heard about Swat from other students at my school that had applied here. I really didn’t know much about the school.
DG: Did you get a chance to visit Swat before coming here?
Kim: Yeah, I visited in December when it was dark, cold and under construction, but I still fell in love with the school.
DG: What drew you to Swat?
Kim: I have to say that the first thing that appealed to me was the beautiful wooded setting. It seemed so peaceful. When I visited during Ride the Tide I just sat in the Arboretum for 2 hours without anyone disturbing me. It made me very happy. I feel like Swat is an intense place but there are also places here to let stress go.
DG: What hall are you on? What do you think of your hall so far?
Kim: Dana 2nd. I like my hall. It’s very mellow and full of nice people, especially the upperclassmen. They have really made an effort to get to know me. I don’t like the fact that the halls wind around so much. It gets me dizzy.
DG: What did you think of Orientation?
Kim: Orientation on the whole was pretty good. My CA’s were really helpful. It was a pretty stress free time to get to meet new people, which was really interesting. You don’t get to do that a lot unless you move around a lot.
DG: What didn’t you like about Orientation?
Kim: I thought that the information sessions got to be pretty redundant and were generally pretty vague. They all said “Swat is intense but manageable.” I wanted to hear something different. It just wasn’t very informative.
DG: What about that swim test?
Kim: I actually kind of liked the swim test. It was nice to just be swimming. It’s not like there is any place to drown around here, though.
DG: What classes are you in right now?
Kim: I’m in Chem 10H Seminar, Math 6B, Intro Japanese, and Bioethics.
DG: What was your best summer vacation?
Kim: This past one. I didn’t have any summer school. I just had a lot of fun with my friends. I even threw my own graduation party. It was the most relaxing summer I’ve ever had.
DG: What are you reading right now?
Kim: I’m reading The King of Torts by John Grisham, which is about this public defense lawyer in DC who dreams of more in life. He ends up with this class action suit that makes him a millionaire overnight. I’m also reading The Daria Diaries which is a book based off of the MTV show “Daria”. It’s basically sketches of her life at Lawndale. Lots of fun.
DG: What’s your favorite book?
Kim: The Scarlet Pimpernel. It has a happy ending, which I like. It’s a pretty entertaining book to read. It’s one of those stories where knowing that the hero will succeed in the end doesn’t cheapen the story.
DG: What’s one thing that people won’t generally know about you?
Kim: I’m a football fan. I love the Eagles. I would really love to go see one of their games while I’m here at Swat.
DG: What’s your favorite word?
Kim: Squeegee.
DG: What’s your least favorite word?
Kim: Moist.
