Meet Juyoung Kim ’26 Kim, a physics major, counts performing in Croatia and Slovenia with the University Singers as one of his most memorable experiences.

Juyoung Kim ’26
Major: Physics
Hometown: Palisades Park, New Jersey

Why did you choose to come to W&L?

I was one of the students who fell in love with the campus atmosphere on Admitted Students Day. I’d toured some other great schools closer to home, but, ironically, I felt more at home at Washington and Lee. When I got here for ASD, I was with my maternal grandparents, who speak not a lick of English, and I was a high schooler, so I was super awkward around college students because I thought they were super cool. But I remember that we could barely make it 25 feet without someone asking us if we needed help finding our way around campus. So many official college websites say they are known for their community, but W&L really showed me what that community atmosphere looked like.

Have you discovered a course or topic that you didn’t expect to study when you first came to W&L?

I took one year of Arabic! I’ve always been passionate about languages, but if you told me that I would be taking two semesters of Arabic and then going abroad to Jordan for a summer, I would’ve given you a strange look. Arabic turned out to be incredibly interesting, especially because of its huge range of dialects. Some of the dialects are so mutually unintelligible that they might as well be separate languages. Yet they all share a single, unified written form, one that reflects how the language was spoken centuries ago, before the dialects began to diverge. I wouldn’t be surprised if, a couple of centuries from now, the term “Arabic” falls out of favor and gets replaced by something like “the Arabic language family,” similar to what happened to Latin in the ninth century. Hopefully, this time, the shift doesn’t coincide with a sudden collapse in literacy.

Where is your “home” on campus?

Lenfest! I spend as much time there as the music and studio art majors do. Every Monday through Thursday, when it feels like my brain cannot take anymore studying, I go to choir rehearsal, and I come out with many a weight off my shoulder. I’ve met most of my closest friends through music, and I don’t know if I would’ve ever met them otherwise.

What has been your most impactful experience at W&L, either on or off campus?

The 2025 University Singers tour to Croatia and Slovenia was deeply formative. Performing (James) Erb’s “Shenandoah” for audiences an ocean away reminded me how music can carry a sense of home, even to those who have never heard of it. Croatia has always been on my bucket list as a travel destination, but the most touching sight of that week was seeing the 50 of us cry backstage after singing “Shenandoah” for the last time that year.

Who is your mentor on campus, and how have they helped you develop as a student?

I want to acknowledge the entire Physics and Engineering Department. Beyond being great instructors, what stands out most is how much they care about us. They take our learning seriously, invest their time and make every student feel supported. I mean it when I say that every single one of them has been there for me whenever I needed to ask a question, whether as a student or simply as a kid trying to figure out his place in the world. I especially want to thank Dr. Rutkowski, who has always known when to be firm in ways that helped me grow.

I also think I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for some of the peer connections I’ve made throughout my time here. There are a few names that come to mind: Wonjun Jo ’26 and Lily Greenwald ’25, who have pulled me out of my lowest moments throughout college. Colin Looby ’26 and Nat Bersett ’26, for constantly being a source of inspiration in my life, forcing me to never settle for “good enough” and for helping me find a home in choir; and, finally, the best RA ever, Kayla Monaghan Zamaloff ’24, who helped me adjust to college life and gave me the sense that I belonged here from the very beginning.

What was your favorite class and why?

Modern Physics with Dr. David Sukow was one of the most transformative courses I’ve taken. Modern physics is interesting because it acts as the gateway to all advanced physics courses. Moving from projectiles, heat transfer and gravity to time dilation, quantum tunneling and quantization of light was a dramatic spike in difficulty, but a deeply welcome one. Dr. Sukow’s lectures, where he built complex ideas from fundamental principles and balanced conceptual clarity with mathematical technique, made even the most conceptually rich topics feel approachable. It was a once-in-a-lifetime class. His method of taking difficult concepts down to foundational principles and building the larger picture one piece at a time has guided my own philosophy in physics.

What are your hobbies/interests?

As mentioned previously, I love linguistics, and I try to keep myself updated on new breakthroughs in historical and evolutionary linguistics. I also love singing, opera and piano. I’m currently working through “The Well-Tempered Clavier” by J.S. Bach — which, along with Chopin’s 24 études and Beethoven’s 32 sonatas, is widely considered one of the holy grails of piano technique. I enjoy all kinds of sports as well: Volleyball is my favorite to play, and basketball my favorite to watch. The strategies behind modern basketball form an endlessly deep rabbit hole. I’m one of the three seniors who joined the club volleyball team as first-years, and watching it grow from a group of seven regulars to a program large enough that we now split into three teams of six or seven has been moving, to say the least. Rapid-fire round: I also love boxing, MMA, drawing, cooking and Classical Society!

What has been your greatest accomplishment since arriving at W&L?

I think it would have to be winning the Concerto-Aria Competition last year. I performed Mendelssohn’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” and co-won the contest with Meredith Harron ’26. It was the first meaningful musical accomplishment I’d had since quitting piano in early high school, and I carried a lot of doubts about my abilities. Preparing the concerto forced me to confront those insecurities, rebuild my technique and rediscover the joy of performing.

Have you studied abroad during your time at W&L? Where did you go, and how was your experience?

I went to Taiwan and Vienna for the past two spring terms. Both experiences were incredible, but my time in the music capital of the world and watching productions at the Vienna State Opera with groups like the Vienna Philharmonic performing was life-altering. Viennese horns are unmatched!

How have your experiences at W&L prepared you for post-graduate success?

W&L’s interdisciplinary approach has shaped me into a far more well-rounded student than I ever expected to become. It didn’t just push me to explore subjects outside my major — it also brought me into a community of friends whose interests range across every corner of the curriculum. Simply spending time with people who think about the world differently has expanded my own perspective in ways that no single program could have done on its own. I feel confident that I can bring an interdisciplinary mindset into whatever I pursue after graduation, whether in research or industry. W&L has trained me to think across boundaries, communicate with people from vastly different backgrounds and approach unfamiliar problems with curiosity rather than hesitation.

Who or what inspires you?

If I’m being honest, I’m not sure, and I’m still kind of looking for it. I realize that doesn’t make for the most interesting answer, so I’ll give a sort of “next man up”-style of answer. I find myself motivated by the people I encounter who demonstrate excellence, kindness or discipline in their own corners of the world. Meeting new people and having positive interactions with the many talented people at this school forces me out of bed every morning.