Biomedical Engineering
Contact Information
- Hometown: Knoxville, TN
- E-mail: kinakoon@vols.utk.edu
- LinkedIn Profile
Biography
Each day, I challenge myself to learn more, be a leader, and demonstrate love through everything I do. As a learner, perseverance and passion drive my ability to succeed in the classroom and pursue projects outside of my curriculum that meaningfully contribute to society. From developing projects alongside my professors and local business partners, to working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory on biomedical technology advancement, my passion for learning and helping others along the way is evident. I strive to transform what I learn into actions that make positive change in my community. As a leader, my values of integrity, growth, and connection are rooted in each decision I make. I learned the most about leadership through founding an arts-focused nonprofit in highschool and now leading the university’s first disability advocacy organization. These roles have revealed my strengths of being a big thinker and an innovative problem solver which have proven valuable in developing sustainable organizations. As someone who loves to serve others, I demonstrate my abundant compassion and empathy through my heavy involvement in community service and by developing genuine relationships with anyone who may cross my path. Teaching elementary schoolers science on Saturdays and spending my time mentoring through Big Brothers Big Sisters has shown me how vital it is that love be the center of everything I do. I chose to participate in the Integrated Business and Engineering Program because it perfectly aligns with my academic and professional aspirations. The collaborative aspect of the program provides a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary approaches to be applied to solve real world problems in our community. In addition to IBEP, I am involved with a variety of other programs that are focused on human centered leadership and global challenge resolution. These programs include the Haslam Scholars Program, NAE Grand Challenge Scholars Program, and the Leadership Knoxville Scholars. I incorporated interdisciplinary studies into my curriculum to allow me to not only be able to learn how to innovatively approach situations through systems thinking, but also how to make solutions accessible to the market, communicate them to people outside of my field, and lead with confidence and poise. In my future, I want to serve in an executive leadership capacity for an innovative biotechnology or assistive technology company. As a result of my entrepreneurial spirit, I would love to start my own company centered around bringing technological solutions to the public, specifically to those with disabilities. At the core of my ambition is a deep desire to positively impact the world through compassionate and human-centered technology.
