Sarah Kim

I attribute my success to my upbringing as an Asian American woman with a physical disability. Growing up with this identity taught me a hard but valuable lesson: that sometimes I need to work twice as hard to get half as far. This reality hasn't discouraged me, but rather it has shaped my work ethic and my determination. It's made me resilient and given me a unique perspective that I bring to my journalism work. Understanding what it means to face barriers and to have to push harder than others has been fundamental to who I am as a professional and how I approach every story I write.

The best career advice I ever received was that your five-year plan will probably not work out, so you need to be more flexible. This advice has been invaluable in my career as a freelance journalist. It taught me not to be too rigid in my expectations and to be open to opportunities that might not fit into a predetermined path. In journalism especially, where the industry is constantly evolving and opportunities can be unpredictable, this flexibility has allowed me to adapt and thrive rather than being disappointed when things don't go exactly as planned.

My advice to young women entering journalism is this: no matter the political climate, there will always be a need for true and accurate journalism. I know the industry can feel uncertain and the landscape is constantly shifting, but the core mission of journalism remains essential. Don't let the challenges or the noise discourage you from pursuing this career. The world needs journalists who are committed to truth and accuracy, and that need isn't going away. If you have that commitment and passion for the work, there will always be a place for you in this field.

I think both the biggest challenge and opportunity in journalism right now is AI. It's a double-edged sword. On one hand, some companies will choose to replace us with AI, which is obviously concerning for journalists everywhere. But I believe that's a short-sighted approach. In the long term, smart companies will realize that we work better alongside AI rather than being replaced by it. AI can be a powerful tool to enhance our work, help with research, data analysis, and efficiency, but it can't replace the human judgment, ethical considerations, and storytelling ability that journalists bring. The key is learning how to work with this technology rather than seeing it as purely a threat.

The values that are most important to me in both my work and personal life are integrity, passion, and inclusion. Integrity is the foundation of everything I do as a journalist - without it, the work has no meaning. Passion drives me to pursue stories that matter and to keep pushing forward even when the work is challenging. And inclusion is critical because I believe everyone's stories deserve to be told and everyone deserves to see themselves represented in the media. These three values guide my decisions, shape the stories I choose to tell, and inform how I interact with sources, editors, and the communities I write about.