Nicola Sumi Kim was born and raised in Hong Kong, where she was surrounded by beaches, forests, and cityscapes. As she moved to boarding school and then to college, she continued to nurture a love for the environment around her, connecting with nature by hiking, traveling, attending local farmers markets, cooking, and baking.

Sumi moved to the Bay Area in 2021 from Baltimore, where she graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Environmental Studies and Writing. She has done work at various environmental non-profits such as Save the Bay & Environment America in communications, development, and research positions; specifically, she has spent time working on transportation policy, conservation, and community justice issues. She has also spent time working on a sheep farm in Canada, and a sea turtle conservation project in Greece. Sumi is particularly passionate about environmental justice, and wants to use her time at KTA to work towards a food system that is nourishing and equitable for all participants, harnessing KTA’s privilege and power to uplift marginalized peoples and their stories.

She loves spending her time exploring, reading, playing music, and experimenting with food.