Cheyenne Kim
Cheyenne is currently a junior at New Covenant Academy. She is the student council secretary and runs the school newspaper with her friend, Jadyn, who is also a KSP participant. Cheyenne’s interest in journalism was sparked by a journalism elective she took during the summer of her sophomore year. She has lived in Koreatown for most of her life and hopes to learn more about Koreatown through the Koreatown Storytelling Program. She loves art and tries to paint as much as possible.
Everybody Knows Each Other
Interview by Abigail Eun and Rebecca Louie
What has been the most challenging part of the COVID-19 experience?
The most challenging part is wearing a mask outside. Wearing a mask outside and not being able to go into dressing rooms and not being able to wear your clothes before you buy them is a hassle. I also like putting lip products on, but it’s covered if I put a mask on.
A lot of people would say that the most challenging part of the COVID-19 experience is not being able to meet people, but I think since there’s a lot of people in my family, I never missed human interaction. It’s always loud in my house. I have three younger siblings, and they’re all girls, so super loud. We’re always fighting at the dinner table and my parents are always like, “Why do you eat dinner while fighting? Can’t you guys fight any other time? Why does it have to be at the dinner table?” So, [not having social interaction] is not really a big deal.
Where is your hometown? What links you to the community?
I’ll definitely say it’s Koreatown because I’ve been here almost all my life. But I did live in Japan for a year or two because of my mom. My mom wanted to spend some time in Japan, so I followed her there when I was pretty young. I remember it was really fun ‘cause you know Japan is pretty chill. The neighborhood and the people there were really nice compared to people in L.A.
I live in the heart of Koreatown — right in the middle. I also go to high school at New Covenant Academy in Koreatown. I think everything that I do is nearby, so that’s what links me to Koreatown. Everything that I do has been so intimate.
What are your thoughts on Koreatown?
I think Koreatown is really nice. It has a nice community and if you live in Koreatown, you eventually get to know everybody in Koreatown — especially if you go to a public school. Everybody knows each other. I’m scared when I’m walking down the street because I might meet somebody who I know that I haven’t talked to in a while because then it’s just really awkward. But it happens all the time because everybody knows each other. It’s a very tight-knit community.
Where’s your favorite place in Koreatown?
My favorite place in Koreatown would be Gaju Market (The California Market). There’s a bakery there called Dirigido. I really like bread, and I got their loaf of bread, and it’s really fluffy.
