I got my first clue things were shifting when they changed the name of the Personnel Department to Human Resources. That title brought to mind bodies wearing pressed suits and hanging from huge hooks, cycling around on a motorized rack like the one in the dry cleaners. A neat filing system, it displayed unlimited selections to replace the used-up models that had been piled into the roll-off dumpster in the alley. My second clue arrived the morning after the merger papers were signed.

Sure, he can't keep a plant alive to save his own life, but, then again no one is perfect… Green thumbs aside, Taft McWhorter is nothing short of an experiential superhero - balancing his roles as an artist, gallery owner, consultant, volunteer, husband and father (just to name a few) with precision, passion and grace. And, if that weren't enough to make the days overflow at brim, this dynamic dad still finds time for his favorite pastime, playing RockBand with his three teenage sons. His mission is to experience it all. Why? Because he simply loves life. 

moved from one end of the office building to the other, everyone jockeyed to get a desk near the windows. Not me. I chose the desk no one wanted way back in the corner. I preferred privacy to a view.

Not that I got much privacy. My micro-managing supervisor invaded my personal space daily. He peered over my shoulder watching my keystrokes, wanted to know my every move, called me into his office constantly to question my actions. Once I got dragged back to his lair from in front of the elevator at 5pm on a Friday.

“Come to my office,” he ordered. “I want to discuss next week’s objectives.” Talk about feeling like a caged wild animal. I daydreamed of escape.

Unfortunately, the career ladder I counted on climbing kept losing rungs. Government cuts reduced the number of available statistics positions and I faced a shrinking pool of jobs in a bumpy economy. I wasn’t married. No opportunities existed for me to quit and fall back on a mate’s salary until the job market picked up. Yet, I feared for my mental health if I didn’t get out of this soul-stifling environment.

“Growing up in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, I was surrounded by an incessant beat,” proclaims Chicago Kim. “Trains passing routinely by my family’s apartment, homeboys in their cars blaring their music, the call of young people in the street.” Chicago Kim was not only influenced by her surroundings from past days spent in her hometown of Chicago, Illinois, but she was also very much inspired by Rothko and the Bible as well as the human experience – an experience of circumstantial states of injustice. 

The youngest of three children, Chicago Kim’s older brother and sister have taught her a lot about life.  Their talent, humor and faith in God has been a huge inspiration to her and helped her to find joy in her own life.  However, she has also watched her older siblings face unfair situations in their daily life which has brought her sadness, but she has quickly learned that the negatives can be important learning tools.  More aware of others needs, as a result, she explains, “My love for my neighbor, for people, is rich.”