At TIME100 Gala, Honorees Toast to Kindness, Community, and Courage
Kim went on to talk about how, at 26, she has “lived a very full life.”
“I have learned that life rarely unfolds in a straight line,” she said. “It asks us to adapt. To fall and get back up. To keep believing, even when belief feels difficult. And through every chapter of my life, the one thing I have remained forever indebted to is my community.”
She thanked her family, her friends, her team, and everyone else who has believed in her. And she even thanked those who haven’t.
“Strangely enough, I am grateful to the people who did not believe in me too because they taught me something equally valuable: that our worth cannot be determined by one’s limited imagination,” Kim said. “Sometimes, the greatest gift is being underestimated. It forces us to discover our own strength, our own voice, and our own conviction.”
Kim said that, while the world may feel divided right now and it can feel “easier to retreat into corners than it is to reach across them,” she still believes in the importance of unity. And by unity, she doesn’t mean think or speak the same, but “a stronger kind of unity; the kind that allows us to remain curious about one another.”
“Because no matter our backgrounds or our beliefs, we all want many of the same things: to be seen, to be heard, to feel safe, to belong, and to leave this world better than when we found it,” she said. “That is why I believe so deeply in nurturing our minds, especially for the next generation.”
She urged the audience to encourage young people to stay informed and engaged with the world and to be curious.
“If we want a more united future, we must raise a generation that is not afraid of complexity, not afraid of dialogue, and not afraid to care,” Kim said. “So tonight, on my 26th birthday, if there is one thing I know for certain, it is this: None of us gets through this life alone. We need one another. We need community. We need courage. And above all, we need the willingness to keep showing up for one another—even when it is uncomfortable, even when it is difficult, and especially when it matters most.”
