Part of Who I Am

REPORT ON GIVING 2021-2022 14 “When you spend 12 years at any institution, it just molds you,” says David Kim ’ 97, who began his Gilman journey in first grade and went on to co-found C2 Education from his Harvard dorm room, just months after graduating. (C2 has since grown to more than 180 tutoring and test-prep locations in 15 states.)

“Gilman’s whole philosophy of educating a well-rounded student — it’s something you don’t fully appreciate until post-Gilman life, but it becomes very real as you enter the world,” he says.

Kim’s Gilman experience is not an uncommon one. When he talks to other alumni at reunions or gatherings, he feels a sense of shared gratitude and brotherhood from their days on Roland Avenue. “I find it pretty unique that no matter how much time has passed or where you are, you can meet someone while wearing a Gilman hat, and it creates an immediate connection.”

Though no longer in Baltimore — he and his family live in Atlanta — Kim is still closely connected to the School and serves on the Board of Trustees. Currently, he sits on the Budget and Finance Committee and the Student Outcomes Committee. As part of this work, he remains engaged with and impressed by the School’s “AS A STUDENT, I ALWAYS FELT LIKE commitment to enrolling and cultivating well-rounded THE FACULTY REALLY CARED. THERE students and talented teachers. WAS AN UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.” Kim, himself, was the epitome of a well-rounded student: –DAVID KIM ʼ97

Valedictorian of his class, he helped lead the Asian Awareness Club, served as a staff member of the Gilman News, played varsity golf, spearheaded martial arts as an intramural sport, and participated in community service with mistreated youth. “Being well-rounded is a luxury that’s more difficult to achieve today,” he says, but something that he thinks Gilman helps its boys to do.

He credits the School with allowing students to share their own personal experiences, to become deeply engaged in their Baltimore community, and to develop strong bonds with classmates and mentors. This isn’t by accident; Gilman facilitates opportunities and connections “to make sure that those things happen,” he says. “So you’re not just a lacrosse player, you’re not just part of It’s Academic. You’re not pigeon-holed into one specific thing. Gilman gets kids to be involved in a lot of different activities and encourages strong relationships among boys with a diversity of interests and experiences.”

In the School’s mission to grow boys of promise into well-rounded men of character, Kim points out one ingredient in Gilman’s “secret sauce”: the many alumni who have gone through the Gilman experience themselves and then have returned to teach at or lead the School. He mentions his own classmates, Upper School Dean of Student Life John O. Schmick ’97 and Director of Athletics Russell Wrenn ’96, among others.

In his role as a trustee, Kim has had the opportunity to collaborate with members of the faculty, including his own Upper School math teacher, Ian Brooks. “Working with the teachers firsthand, I got to see behind the scenes,” he says. “Their passion is really amazing. As a student, I always felt like the faculty really cared. There was an unconditional love.”

He brings it back to the values of honor and integrity that were instilled in him during his 12 years at Gilman. “It’s ingrained in me. It’s how I have personal interactions with my friends and how I treat others. It’s how I want to raise my kids. It’s part of who I am.”

Kim works with Gilman seniors for their Start-Up Experience in 2015.

Kim gives a speech as valedictorian at Founders Day in 1997.