Mikyoung Kim
Mikyoung Kim Design
Boston, MA USA
"Try to do good. And don’t think that you can change the world with a small action, but try to think collectively—you can together."
Career Roadmap
Mikyoung's work combines: Design, Environment & Nature, and Building Things
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Sculpture/Art History
Oberlin College and Conservatory
Graduate Degree
Landscape Architecture
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
I spent my childhood practicing piano for hours each day, believing I would become a concert pianist.
2.
In college at Oberlin, tendonitis in my arm forced me to stop playing piano, and I suddenly had to rethink my entire future.
3.
That summer I interned with a public artist along the Charles River and discovered a love for designing shared public spaces.
4.
While working in San Francisco, I received a grant and drove to Oaxaca, Mexico, living there for months and immersing myself in a completely different culture.
5.
After returning, I took a chance and applied to teach at the Rhode Island School of Design—even though I had no teaching experience.
6.
Teaching for 18 years gave me the freedom to explore ideas and eventually start my own landscape architecture firm in Boston.
7.
Through projects like healing gardens and community spaces, I found my purpose designing places that help people feel safe, restored, and connected.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I don't have a chance at getting this job.
How I responded:
I got the opportunity to apply for a teaching position at the Rhode Island School of Design but didn't think I really had a chance at landing it because I had less experience and wasn't as professional as the other candidates. I gave them a handmade portfolio box filled with my work, showing my naivete and authenticity, and it got me the job! It proved to me that you never really know what people are looking for, so you should just be yourself.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I trained my whole life to be a concert pianist but was forced to rethink my future when I got tendonitis and had to stop playing.