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In Life & In The Exam Room, Kim's Focus Is Helping Others
Esther Kim (left) receives award from Adam Preston
Esther Kim OD '26 was presented the Association of Armed Forces and Federal Optometric Services' Colonel Bzdula Student of the Year award by the organization's president and Pacific optometry alumnus Adam Preston MEd '10, OD '11, MHA '19, PhD '20. Submitted photo.

Ever since coming to the United States from South Korea at age 16, everything that Esther Kim OD ’26 has done has been for others.

“I feel like it’s the purpose of life to use my strength and resources to help others,” said Kim, a fourth-year student in Ƶ’s College of Optometry. “It’s just a core value that comes from my religion. And I think that’s what drives me. It just makes me happy.”

That drive took Kim from high school to college to enlisting in the United States Army, a decision that not only helped her discover a passion for the medical sciences but also opened the door to a better life for her whole family. 

Now her passion for optometry and uplifting others has gained Kim national recognition as the top optometry student in the U.S. Armed Forces. 

In September 2025, Kim received the Colonel Bzdula Student of the Year Award from the , the military and public service subsection of the American Optometric Association. The award was presented at the AFOS annual meeting in San Antonio.

Bill Hefner OD ’96, MEd ’97, associate dean of clinical programs and professor of optometry, and a retired colonel in the Kansas Air National Guard, said that Kim was an easy choice for the award.

“From the very first time I worked with her, it became very apparent that Esther was more concerned about how she could lift others up, and how she could pour into others, and how she could create circumstances that made opportunities available to more individuals than anything else,” Hefner said. “And when you see that in an individual, that is a significant sign of maturity.”

For Kim, who attends Pacific as part of the , the award is special not because of what she has accomplished, but because of the opportunities that the Army has provided for her and her family. “I have received so much from the military, and to get this recognition as an optometry student means so much to me,” she said. “I am very thankful to the U.S. Army community.”

Kim arrived in the U.S. as an exchange student at age 16 and later received a full scholarship to an early college STEM-focused high school program in Missouri. Upon graduation, Kim went to the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a degree in integrated biology in just two-and-a-half years. She carried as many as 21 credit hours in a semester while also working full time to make ends meet.

Esther Kim Headshot

“It’s about service to the greater good, and it makes sense when you get to know Esther a little bit. You take a step back and you look at the things she has been involved with, whether it is in her church or the Army or with her classmates, there is a common theme of service to others.”

— Bill Hefner OD '96, MS '97, Associate Dean of Clinical Programs, College of Optometry, on Esther Kim

Kim thought about returning to South Korea after graduating from Berkeley, but the opportunity to provide her family with a better life drove her to find a way to stay in the U.S. In 2016, Kim enlisted in the Army through the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest program, which recruited foreign nationals with critical skills to join the armed forces. Upon completion of Basic Combat Training, recruits became citizens of the United States. Kim was in the last cohort recruited under the program, which was suspended in 2016.

After a three-year background clearance process, Kim was inducted and completed training as a combat medic. She became a U.S. citizen in 2019 and her family immigrated soon after.

Joining the Army was not Kim’s first choice “At first, I was not courageous enough to consider it. I had never thought of joining the Army or doing anything like that because I’m not very athletic,” Kim said.

But the opportunity to improve life for her family made it the right choice. “I’m a Christian, and I prayed about it a lot, and I think God has given me the strength to be courageous, to make the best decision for myself and for my family,” she added. “I joined the Army, got my citizenship, and petitioned for all of my family to come to the States, and now they are doing great.”

Esther Kim (right) receiving military award.
Esther Kim OD '26, right, receives the Army Commendation Medal in a ceremony in August 2021. Kim will return to active duty in the Army following her graduation from Pacific. Submitted photo.

Hefner sees the attitude of servant leadership at Pacific in Kim, who is the immediate past president of the university’s student chapter of AFOS.

“She embodies it in everything she does,” Hefner said. “It’s about service to the greater good, and it makes sense when you get to know Esther a little bit. You take a step back and you look at the things she has been involved with, whether it is in her church or the Army or with her classmates, there is a common theme of service to others.”

The Army’s Health Profession Scholarship Program pays for Kim’s Pacific education and provides monthly pay as a second lieutenant. Upon graduation, she will be commissioned as a captain and will serve at least three years as an Army optometrist.

Kim’s educational experience has solidified her purpose in pursuing optometry. “The environment is great. The faculty is great. And I felt like the program really made sense in just building my knowledge,” she said. “I especially like the contact lens faculty that we have. It’s been a great experience.”

Pacific also helped solidify her desire to continue down the military eye care path, thanks to a summer externship rotation at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, where she worked with active duty servicemembers and their families.

“That was the ‘aha’ moment. I am so glad I chose this,” Kim said. “Service members are generally very respectful and we have a lot of things in common. So I enjoyed having conversations with them, sharing similar experiences. And catching the early signs of disease for those service members was very rewarding.”
 

By

Blake Timm '98
Optometry
Student Accomplishments
Military and Veterans
Class of 2026