ISABELLE “IZZY” KIM ’18 RISD 2022
“H
ow can I make the world more fun?” In the dynamic world of technology and user experience, creativity knows no bounds. One individual who embodies this spirit of innovation and passion-driven design is Isabelle “Izzy” Kim, an Amazon professional who has embarked on a remarkable journey from the realm of art and craft to the cutting-edge world of Alexa, conversations, and screens. Izzy’s journey was rooted in her Korean arts class at SFS. Izzy fondly recalls crafting holiday paper maché creations and turning balloons into figurines of beloved characters like Elsa and Olaf. It was during this time that Ms. Anna Park, her SFS teacher, recognized her talent and suggested toy design as a potential career path. As Izzy engaged in playful crafts and activities, she realized the joy in helping children have fun and the prospect of a fulfilling career. This realization spurred her to pursue a path that would merge her passion for design with the joy of making people's lives easier. Izzy explored courses in industrial design at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and cross-registered courses at Brown University. Here she learned that her passion lay not just in how products looked but in understanding how they worked. Even in her younger days, Izzy displayed a penchant for improving functionality. She designed a mechanism to make it easier to carry water bottles upstairs into her room, showcasing her commitment to making life more convenient for people. It was clear that her passions revolved around understanding the intricacies of how things functioned and how people interacted with them. During her time in college, Izzy's passion for design evolved further. She joined the Brown entrepreneurship club, where she met like-minded individuals. Her experience using the Robinhood app during her time at SFS became invaluable and provided her with the opportunity to work with a finance start-up. These experiences allowed her to delve into digital user interface design, using programs that would later become essential in her career. Izzy's interest in finance and broad perspectives allowed her to bridge the gap and acquire a diverse skill set. 36
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