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• 1 2022-05-05T21:24:20-04:00 Story of Self - Alexander Kim 16 image_header 2022-05-05T22:18:29-04:00

  My name is Alexander Kim and I’m a junior in Leverett, studying economics and psychology. When I first came to Harvard, I did not find much involvement in my first semester – I choose to focus on getting adjusted to living away from home for the first time, the new coursework schedule, and the whole college experience. However, in November of my first year, I realized that, while I had developed some good friendships here and there, I had not truly found my community here at Harvard. This coincided, luckily, with an email pub from HSA looking to hire for some manager positions. 
  
  I remember to this day the day of my first-round interview. I had not brought my suit to school – so that morning I ran the 6 miles to my house, showered, changed into my suit, and took the T back to school, all in time for my 10 am arrival at HSA’s office. Little did I know that HSA would become my home for my entire time at Harvard. When I came back from winter break that freshmen year, I began operating HSA Cleaners. This was a unique challenge – every day, 100 or so laundry bags are set out to be picked up. Those bags then are picked up, washed, dried, and folded before being returned to customers the next day. The job had everything from working with my staff to get pick-ups done on snowy days to being yelled at over the phone by someone’s mother because we lost their laundry. 
  
  
  Since that first year, I’ve had the privilege of serving as COO over the pandemic and then as President in our first year back on campus. Over that time, I’ve developed a love for business. I love seeing ideas go from words on a page. That idea then becomes a product. That product then produces value for our customers. It’s an incredibly hands-on experience and being able to do it day in and day out with my team members is amazing. 
  
  
  
  
  There’s a famous saying among HSAers that the next time in our careers where we will have as much agency and responsibility as we do now is probably in 10-15 years. It’s remarkable to be able to lead an $8M+ revenue business and a team of 50 managers. While I’m still going I hope to savor every moment and when it’s over I know I’ll miss it dearly. I hope this project leaves its mark in helping HSA effectively transition between management teams each year.