Versatile senior pursues path to become doctor
Memorial High School senior Sehwa “Nick” Kang started Kendo, a modern Japanese martial art descended from swordsmanship, as a fourthgrader, a couple of years after he arrived in the United States with his family from South Korea.
He was attracted to the art form after seeing classes at the church in Los Angeles, where his father was a pastor and the family first settled.
By the age of 13, he had earned a black belt, and he continues to practice Kendo at Presbyterian Vision Church of Houston in Spring Branch, where his father is pastor, after the family relocated to Houston six years ago.
“I like it, because it tests your patience,” Kang said of the rigorous and exacting art form. “You gain a lot of endurance and self-control. Also, height, weight, age — they don’t matter.”
Kendo, which points the way “to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana (or sword)” perhaps parallels Kang’s application to his studies and activities throughout school, culminating in a full ride to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
But Kang said he couldn’t have earned a place at one of the most prestigious colleges in the country along with the scholarships without the help of the counselors through Spring Branch Independent School District’s Collegiate Challenge mentoring program.
The program pairs experienced community volunteers and district staff with juniors and seniors, who tend to be motivated, low-income and minority students, to guide them through the college application process.
Kang said Collegiate Challenge also helped him decide what he wanted to study. A career aptitude test pointed to the
sciences and medicine. His goal is to be a doctor, possibly a surgeon, or work in medical research.
Memorial’s lead counselor Darla Shirley, who helped Kang through Collegiate Challenge, said Kang deserves everything he has achieved.
Shirley described Kang as a highly motivated student who has fitted in well at school and who is modest about his accomplishments. He is one of seven salutatorians in his senior class and is Commended in the National Merit Scholarship.
“Nick has a quiet confidence and possesses a great deal of humility,” Shirley said. “He has a strong faith component to his life — he is very moral.”
Kendo and academics aside, Kang also teaches Korean at the local Korean community center, plays drums — he taught himself — and is a founding member of the school’s Korean drum club, which performs at school events and festivals around town.
“I love (Korean) drumming, because it’s a complete performance — involving body movement, swaying and smiling and jumping,” Kang said. “When you’re performing, it shows you’re having fun.”
Shirley said Kang’s achievements are especially significant considering his family’s background as relatively recent immigrants and limited resources.
Kang and his parents and two younger brothers live in a rented two-bedroomed apartment. Kang said his family moved from their church-owned home to their modest apartment to be zoned to Memorial High School, known nationally for its high academic standards.
Most of all, Kang credits his parents for his achievements and pointed to the sacrifices they made to give him the best education they could.
“They encouraged me to be anything I want to be,” Kang said of his parents, who don’t speak English well. “They expect me to do well, but they know I’ll do it myself. I want my parents to be proud of me.” Annette Baird is a freelance writer