Kim Foster

Refusing to be bored or boring

Emerson once said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." To be certain, the life and times of Kimberly Foster are anything but consistent.

While my resume has been steadily growing since the age of 16, I would like to think my work experience dates back to the age of 12. As it happens, I successfully ran my own small business all within the confines of Creekwood Middle School in Kingwood, Texas, the town I grew up in.

It started in sixth grade. During my first trimester, I recognized a particular trend sweeping the school. Small, brightly colored beaded animals on key rings hung off every other backpack, it seemed. For whatever mystical forces that drive middle school trends, boys and girls alike had to have them. What I noticed was that unlike other wildly popular fads at the time, such as tomogotchis and beanie babies, all variations of these plastic beaded key rings were rather simple and could easily be hand-made.

One weekend I conducted research on a few craft Web sites and quickly learned how to make these beaded animal key chains on my own. It was not long before I started making them for my friends as well, eventually having to charge 75 cents each to cover the cost. Other students quickly noticed my work and tracked me down, asking for beaded creatures of their own. I soon began to buy in bulk and take custom orders from friends, classmates and strangers alike throughout the school. My weekends were consumed with tirelessly weaving beaded key chains in the shapes of animals. The demand was ultimately so great that I created my own Web site for my pint-sized business. I entitled my site "Wild Things" and, in addition to contact information and a cheesy midi sound bite that looped the chorus to, you guessed it, "Wild Thing", I scanned in examples of my work. I was feeling more ambitious than ever before and even printed and cut out tags with the site URL to attach to every keychain. In theory, students could visit the site and send e-mails when they wanted to order. Unfortunately, what I thought to be my greatest achievement at the time, a Web site of my very own, was ultimately my biggest mistake.

The Web site was essentially ineffective, being that in 1997 only a handful of kids my age even had access to the Internet, much less an e-mail account. More tragic was that the creation of the Web site and the tags created a trail that traced back to myself and soon led to a summons to the principal's office. Despite praise for my entrepreneurial skills, I was kindly asked to stop selling animal key chains on school grounds immediately. Naturally, being that this was the very first time I had ever been called to the principal's office, I was mortified and eventually closed shop.

Since then I've had nearly a dozen odd jobs, giving me valuable experience. My years as a bookseller at Barnes and Noble exposed me to the unexpectedly complex world of retail bookselling. My experience at Pier 1 Imports taught me how to lift furniture twice my size without breaking my back. Closest to my heart is my work in various photography studios, which has enlightened me in the many ways to put both children and adults at ease. Currently I work at a photo studio on weekends to pay the rent as well as shoot for The Daily Reveille and Legacy Magazine. I immensely enjoy all these jobs, despite the difficulty to balance them with a tight and demanding class schedule.

If all the aforementioned knowledge about me seems a bit too ordinary, the fact that I never graduated high school might change your mind. Before you judge me, however, consider that luckily for you, dear reader, we can skip the part where I disclose my painfully typical high school trials and tribulations. This is not to say that I did not achieve anything at all, though. While in high school I did work for the school newspaper, win Best of Show in the HLSR art competition, took home numerous medals when my choir went to solo and ensemble competitions, and was a Staff Sergeant in the JROTC rifle drill team. Nevertheless, my parents thought that I would be better off if I were to be home-schooled after ninth grade. This may sound like heaven to many teenagers, but I hated the constant isolation from my peers.

Upon turning 17, I received my G.E.D. and began to attend Kingwood Community College to take my basic courses. During my time there, I had the best photography and design professor I could imagine. “Bob” was the name he preferred, and he instilled in me the importance of not only finding but also fully understanding and expressing one's unique voice from behind the lens. He often called other students’ pictures a “Kim Foster,” which was incredibly flattering. Though I have been fascinated with cameras and taking photographs since I was a young girl, Bob taught me to not only adore, but also ultimately respect the art.

Aside from the usual, boring academics, I participated in the Model United Nations. The Model U.N. was no doubt one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences of my life. My group went to New York City in 2006 to participate in Model U.N. sessions at U.N. Headquarters and debate issues just as the U.N. does during their assemblies. I was immersed in the challenges the U.N. faces while trying to bring the international community together; an unforgettable experience that was both enlightening and gratifying.

As for my future, I have no concerns about where I will be in 10 years. The past decade was brimming with more than I ever expected to experience at such a relatively young age. With a major in advertising and minor in business administration from the Manship School, I can only hope that once I graduate my path from here will only be more challenging and exhilarating. No matter how far life’s journey will take me, I will always retain the spirit of a bright-eyed, 12-year-old version of myself whose imagination, ambition and work ethic will forevermore defy the expectations of the world around her.