Lois Kim moved to the United States when she was three years old from South Korea and grew up in Flower Mound, Texas. She studied musical education at Texas Tech and graduated in 2013 with the dream of having her own classroom as a middle school band director.
“I got a degree and passed all of my certification exams, and I was ready to go out into the world and teach little kiddos but then I learned that I didn’t have the right visa,” Kim said.
To stay in the country, she decided to get her masters. She finished in May 2016 and began to apply for teaching jobs again. She’s filled out 45 different applications, sorted through tedious paperwork and conversed with all kinds of immigration attorneys.
“This is my frustration, no one has told me that I wasn’t a good teacher or that I wasn’t the right fit… it’s just that I wasn’t born here,” Kim said.
Two months ago she started up a go fund me to help with immigration fees, and since then has raised nearly $5,000. All kinds of people donated money to help, even her 6th grade band teacher who inspired her to teach.
“110 people who believe in my dream with me and it’s such a surreal thing,” Kim said.
Praying along with her family and friends, she knew she was running out of time as the deadline for the work visa approached on April 1. On the last week of March she heard back from the Superintendent of Plains ISD.
“It was a God sent that she knew what this meant and she wasn’t afraid of it as long as I was the right candidate she was willing to do it,” Kim said.
