2023 Provost’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year Award Winner

Grace Kim, of the Department of Psychology & Applied Human Development

For Dr. Grace Kim, clinical associate professor of counseling psychology and applied human development, helping students make meaningful connections with their future profession is about making psychology, itself, more relevant for a dynamic, racially diverse society. Inspired and motivated by her own experiences as an undergraduate, Dr. Kim today designs curricula and teaching approaches as much around critical texts as immersion in and exposure to the experiences of communities often in greatest need of support.

Dr. Kim is a nationally respected author and conference presenter, whose acclaimed books and articles on teaching diversity and understanding oppression and privilege have been adopted across multiple institutions. Beyond that, her commitment to creating inquisitive environments is notable through her emphasis on personalization. Whether engaging those in her Asian American Psychology course to interview family members about their migration stories and challenges or inviting guest speakers from marginalized communities to share lived experiences on race, gender, sexuality, social class, and disability, students routinely leave Dr. Kim’s classes with greater empathy and appreciation for the struggles of those they will be serving, using words like “amazing” and “inspirational” to describe their experience. “She continuously encouraged me into areas of growth I didn’t always realize I needed,” writes one student.

Dr. Kim is equally committed to her colleagues’ development – particularly in the integration of diversity goals in courses, policies, and interactions with students. In addition to co-chairing Wheelock’s Antiracist Curricula Working Group and leading important syllabi revisions, she has created an early-career faculty workshop series for effectively teaching race and culture and is an active fellow of the American and Asian American psychological associations. “Her contributions to the practice and scholarship of teaching are undeniable,” writes her nominator. “She is a most cherished colleague, mentor, and teacher and makes our community – and especially our students – stronger.”

Dr. Kim’s dedication to her craft, community, and improving the human condition embody what it means to be a scholar-teacher.