Humans of Basis: Steps Towards Progress

Katherine remembers her induction into Key Club, marking the start of her volunteering journey. Throughout her time in the club, Katherine has participated in a variety of activities, from bringing joy to children at the Trunk or Treat event, to writing letters to veterans.

“Anyone can volunteer — there are no skills or financial requirements,” she explains. “Even dedicating just a few hours of our time to assist struggling communities can make a significant impact. We've organized several card-making events for veterans and hospital workers, and we've seen firsthand how much these small gestures can brighten someone's day.”

Key Club has been a cornerstone of her high school experience. In addition to volunteering, the club provides a sense of community and belonging that has had a profound impact on its members. Katherine is currently the executive assistant on the division level and the tech editor on the district level.

"Key Club holds a special place in my heart," Katherine states. "It not only sparked my passion for volunteering, but also played a role in my personal growth. I climbed out of my shell and made lifelong friends through the various bonding events. To me, it's so much more than just a club — it’s a community."

What she didn’t expect then was how natural leading became — so she formed communities centered around her interests.

Computer science was something that felt magical from the moment she discovered the level of control she had over the animated sprites on Code.org, leading to her co-founding the Girls Who Code club at Basis.

"Starting Girls Who Code was definitely my most rewarding experience, as it was something I’ve wanted to do since middle school,” recollects Katherine. “In all my computer science classes, I was the only girl, and that was so discouraging. I wanted to encourage more girls to pursue STEM and see it as a viable career.”

In addition to empowering education, Katherine uses computer science as a means to better society. In the summer after sophomore year, she developed a molecular toxicity machine learning model, which tested the toxicity of a molecule without requiring live animal test subjects. If successful, the model would solve this obvious moral problem as well as greatly lessen the costs of toxin testing.

“I had to experiment with a lot of different methods and models and got SO MANY ERRORS,” she reminisces. “It was really just a test of my patience.”

While Girls Who Code represented the manifestation of a childhood dream, Multicultural Club which she co-founded was more of a fun spin on her passion for culture. From making traditional Korean pellet drums and having fun eating new dishes to watching anime, the club offers a variety of cultural explorations.

“Multicultural club is just a really safe and fun space to learn about different cultures and share parts of our own,” she explains. “I learned a lot about working with kids and how to make the club engaging for them. It’s so rewarding when the kids are able to explain concepts back to me — it means they truly understand something. Also, just making sure everyone has fun is the whole spirit of the club, so we watch all types of cultural movies and play traditional music.”

Her fascination with learning more about the lives and cultures of others spans well beyond Multicultural Club. Hold a conversation with Katherine for 10 minutes, and you’ll quickly realize her love for manhwa and anime. Although many may assume such mediums to be a simple pastime, they can sometimes teach lessons.

“They provide a lot of insight into the lives of different people, and it showed me that no one’s life is easy. I stopped comparing myself to others, and became content with my own life,” she explains. “It’s just another form of literature, one where you directly visualize the story author’s purpose. In real life, you can't see what's going on underneath people, but an artist or author is able to really break it down.”

Simply consuming anime isn’t enough — Katherine is an avid artist, specializing in an anime-esque style. Though she initially found drawing to be tedious, a chance experience at the age of 4 sparked a love for art in her.

“I like how there are no creative restrictions or restraints; you can do whatever you want. It really allows me to express myself,” says Katherine. “It allows me to let my emotions out and calm down. Expression through art and anime has helped me understand so many different mindsets — it’s probably a part of why I care about volunteering so much.”

Learning more about life is essential, something she realized after a setback in middle school. As a child, she chased perfection in the form of grades. When she failed a test, she realized life was much more than her studies.

“I gained more insight into how I should live my life,” states Katherine. “In middle school, I didn’t hang out with friends and just studied, but now I am trying to make meaningful memories with my friends. I learned how to enjoy my life and realized what truly matters to me.”