Shawn Kim
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Shawn is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PRAIS. Previously, Shawn was a Branch Director of Illumna, an educational nonprofit based out of NJ. Shawn has extensive qualitative research experience, having been part of three different research teams at the University of Pennsylvania. Shawn is also a two-time graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, having attained degrees in Nonprofit Leadership and Sociology, and he has used his knowledge and expertise to grow PRAIS from a class project to a nonprofit venture that has garnered international awards such as the United Nations' Millennium Fellowship and the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U). Shawn was born in Seoul, South Korea but grew up in Queens, NY and Northern NJ. Shawn is a passionate and conscientious person who loves Christ and desires to help those who are marginalized and underserved in society. Shawn loves to read good fiction, create pottery, and play basketball in his free time.
Background
EDUCATION
M.S. in Nonprofit Leadership, University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice
B.A. in Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
WORK EXPERIENCE
Branch Director, Illumna, Inc.
Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Guaranteed Income Research at Penn
Head Research Assistant, Department of Sociology at Penn
ACHIEVEMENTS
Venture For America Fellow
Clinton Global Initiative University Fellow
United Nations Millennium Fellow
Campaign for Community Award
Bodek Prize for Research on Interracial and Interfaith Relations
Why did you start PRAIS?
Growing up, I went to a majority-white school where I experienced racism daily in the form of microaggressions, stereotypes, and racially-charged encounters. I remember being called names like “chink” and “gook" in the locker room, being made fun of with slant-eyed gestures by teachers, and being told I only did well in school “because I was asian.” I became numb to these things and became used to being uncomfortable in my own skin- I hated and hid the aspects of myself that made me who I was. However, coming to college, I found healing in communities and people that allowed me to take some of my deepest scars and use them to advocate and serve others. PRAIS was born out of that, and I hope to use PRAIS to help and empower people who have had similar experiences as me.
What distinguishes PRAIS from other organizations?
In the midst of a politically-divided climate, PRAIS seeks to bring reconciliation to communities by empowering schools. We do not seek to advance a political agenda or frame one side as the guilty party, but we hope to work with schools and all groups to help their students.
What’s a fun fact about PRAIS?
Charles (my co-founder) and I went to college together and had many mutual friends but never met one another until the end of our junior year in college. We were both sociology majors and ended up meeting each other because we had two classes together.