Pacifica Stories

In his first year on Pacifica staff as a U.S. History teacher and assistant volleyball coach, Joo Bin Kim has already embraced the Seawolf culture. He was a rallying force on the Yellow Team at our All School Retreat and is diving into making an impact in the classroom and on the court. 

Joo Bin was born in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to the United States when he was about a year old. He grew up in Torrance, California within a strong community that helped shape his childhood experiences and core values. Having grown up in a Christian household, church and a faith community were always constant in Mr. Kim’s life. However, in high school, he realized that the faith and relationship with God that he thought he had was mostly the result of the faith of his parents. He said, “It was their obedience that brought me to church and largely their faith that shaped everything I knew about my relationship with God.” Joo Bin came to know Christ for himself at a retreat he attended in between his freshman and sophomore year of high school.

“Although I have had my ups and downs in my journey, I can confidently say that God has always been faithful to me, even after the countless times I have not been faithful to Him,” said Joo Bin. “My faith and values have impacted my career path in that I believe God was the one that called me into education.”

In March of 2020, Mr. Kim entered the classroom for the first time as a teacher. The Friday of his first week teaching, they received the news that they would be learning from home for ‘2 weeks.’ Nearly a year later, he re-entered the classroom in the fall of 2021. The first and only other school Mr. Kim has taught at prior to Pacifica was Hamilton High School in Culver City. While he feels as though he learned and grew tremendously from his time there building his curriculum in U.S. and AP U.S. History, he is excited to start a new chapter at Pacifica.

“I am so excited and blessed to be at Pacifica because I feel as if I can be more true to myself as an educator here by integrating faith into my curriculum,” said Mr. Kim.

His favorite part of teaching and coaching is watching a student or player learn something for the first time, and seeing it connect for them. It’s rewarding to see them overcome a hurdle and gain a new skill. Ultimately, the most important value that Joo Bin tries to emphasize both in his classroom and on his teams is the value of empathy. 

“I want every athlete and student who I cross paths with to understand what it means to truly be able to put themselves in the shoes of others.”

In June, Joo Bin and his wife became parents to a beautiful baby boy and are spending the year learning the ropes of what it is to be a parent. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and son, playing basketball, or hanging out with friends.