Yeon-Su Kim Faculty

Yeon-Su Kim
Assistant Professor in the Sunderman Conservatory of Music
Coordinator of Strings

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Welcome to Gettysburg College.

I remember sitting in seats much like yours, listening to a convocation speech, and remember the thrill as I pictured my upcoming 4 years at college in my mind.

Yet we know that this is a bittersweet moment for you as you leave the comforts of your home and family, to begin a journey that for most, will define and shape your adulthood. The creative paths you will carve out will lead some of you in surprising directions, both in your intellectual endeavors and in the friendships you will form.

Today, as you embark on the first steps of this journey, envision yourself finding and pursuing a true passion that grows with you, however small and insignificant it may seem in the beginning. Your generation comes to us having watched the sharp satires of South Park, having lived in the fantastic worlds of Pixar animations, bobbing heads to the music of "The Black Eyed Peas". Well, your passions may start with a pair of scissors, colored paper and a camera - you may work and imagine brilliant storylines riding a tricycle at midnight....

Whatever form your passions may take, I hope you will throw off the inhibition of low expectations and free yourself to find your own passions that will carry you throughout your whole life here in Gettysburg.

For a fortnight this summer, I performed and taught in a music festival in Germany and two of your incoming classmates accompanied me on this musical journey. As I watched them perform Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Copland on stage, I couldn't help feel a pang of pride at how accomplished they and this class of 2012 will be.

All I can hope is that you will grab and devour every opportunity that comes your way in the next four years. We are here to open your minds, to encourage you, inspire and guide you to find and nurture your passion in life.

I am so proud to be able to welcome you here today.