[Massachusetts-NFB] Member to Member - Getting to Know Each Other

[Bronwen Tedesco]

 Welcome to our next Member to Member! Today, we will get to know Gene Kim, board member of the science and engineering division. He is quite new to our affiliate at this time. Welcome, Gene!

Gene was born and raised in San Jose, California. He grew up with his parents, younger sister, and older step brother. He is a second-generation immigrant; his parents are from Korea.

Gene attended public school all throughout k-12. A couple of moments came to mind when asked about his defining moment: when he couldn’t see the line moving, and when he had trouble in Japanese in high school because he couldn’t see the lines on an animae character. When he was six and at camp, he was in line to buy snacks, a counselor joked that he must have become blinder, then eventually he moved up. In high school, as he lost more of his vision, it was difficult to see the lines on an animae character in his Japanese class, even though he used a CC tv. He graduated high school in 2019, then went onto attend Stanford University, graduating in 2025 with a bachelors degree in cognitive science. Then during this time, he took time off to attend Colorado Center for the Blind in 2021, graduating within six months, then returning to Stanford for the full in-person experience. He now attends MIT as a PHD student majoring in electrical engineering and computer science.

Gene discovered the NFB when applying for scholarships after high school. He was a scholarship finalist in 2019, attending his first national convention in Las Vegas. The community motivated him to consider becoming involved and later on, he was involved in NABS and is now on the board of the science and engineering division. When asked if he had any advice for anyone who has recently lost their vision or joined the NFB, he said, “Don’t limit yourself to what you think you can accomplish just because you lost your vision.”

Gene currently lives in an on-campus studio apartment independently. He enjoys making things, music, and many other interesting things. He joked his list was too long. It has been great getting to know you, Gene! Stay tuned for our next Member to Member!
Bronwen M. Tedesco
831-359-8514