For Miyung Kim, being a Warrior means that she can achieve anything if she puts in the effort and does not give up. This attitude served her well during her time at El Camino College. Earning her degree took longer than she expected, but like a true Warrior, she persevered, found her passion in photography, and graduated this past spring with the Class of 2020. Her hard work was recognized when she was named the 2020 Presidential Scholar for the Fine Arts Division, a prestigious award reserved for outstanding students graduating with a 3.7 GPA or higher.

"I am honored and humbled to be selected as the 2020 Presidential Scholar for the Fine Arts Division," said Miyung, who deferred her transfer plans for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "At first, I never expected to reach my educational goals, but now, I am ready to pursue my goals even further. I now realize how having an education can affect my life."

At El Camino, Miyung won several awards for her photographs, including an honorable mention in the national Associated College Press 2018 Photo of the Year contest.

"My experience as a photographer at The Union was an amazing learning experience and it wouldn't have been possible without all The Union staff and advisers I worked with," she said.

The photography honors and Presidential Scholar award were certainly big highlights from her time at El Camino, but it was the small moments that made her El Camino experience special.

"The times in which I overcame my weaknesses, such as learning new things and subjects, are really important to me," she said. "When I passed my challenging political science and math classes, I was so proud of myself because I really studied for those subjects with tutors. I was lucky enough to meet so many amazing and passionate instructors who are dedicated to teaching. Many of them helped me to achieve my goals and gain interest in subjects that I was not interested in before."