~ Kim L Austin ~
Travel Concierge & Sustainability Expert
Photo by TINA KROHN | tinakrohnphoto.com
Kim is a renowned writer, media producer, event coordinator, and intellectual entrepreneur. Some of her former roles include writer for the United Nations Association - Howard University chapter, Young Global Professional turned Program Assistant at The Atlantic Council of the United States’ Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, Secretary of Howard University’s student-run organization ¡Changó!, and Howard’s Student Ambassador for CET Colombia.
BIOGRAPHY
Kim works as a Travel Designer at Passport Poppin LLC, a premier Black-owned travel agency offering beautifully curated travel experiences. Book your next luxury vacation with Kim here.
Beyond work, Kim is enrolled in a dual master’s degree program in San José, Costa Rica studying Natural Resources & Sustainable Development at the United Nations mandated University for Peace. She also studies International Affairs at American University’s School of International Service in Washington D.C. Kim is expected to graduate with two Masters of Arts in Spring 2025.
An alumna of Howard University where she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with minors in Economics and Spanish, Kim earned her degree with two distinct honors, graduated Magna Cum Laude, and was named several consecutive semesters on the Dean’s List. Kim spent her sophomore year of undergrad abroad studying racialized political and economic factors of social injustice and human rights abuse in Colombia and doing independent research in Oaxaca, Mexico on Afro and Indigenous Mexican populations. In 2021, she was recognized by Howard University’s College of Arts and Sciences Honors Association for her research report on racial discrimination in the labor market in Cali, Colombia.
Kim spent her final semester of undergrad working at the Atlantic Council's Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center as a Young Global Professional. She was quickly promoted to Program Assistant to provide program, events, and project support across extreme heat, climate risk, and policy initiatives. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions, Kim is no longer with the Council.
BACKGROUND
Kim is an Afro-Indigenous American born and raised in Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California. She grew up traveling the States with her family, learning something new about herself and others everywhere she went.
Through school, Kim grew a passion for research, writing, and a variety of arts. She is known for knowledge-sharing and for always challenging ideas with creative questioning and critical thinking.
At 19 years old, Kim left everyone and everything she knew behind for a one-of-a-kind — and first of its kind — study abroad experience in Colombia. Over the course of several months, her understanding of the world grew immensely due to all of the wonders and atrocities she witnessed there. The more she learned about institutional racism, government corruption, and cultural resistance, the more her passion for positive social change and community development grew. Kim shares her passion through storytelling.
Her blogging debut dates back to July 2019 when she launched the food page ‘Kim’s Vegan Eats’ on Instagram. The blog began as a simple diet reference for her friends and family who couldn’t imagine what she could possibly eat as a Black vegan, let alone an active vegan traveler. To this day, Kim continues to post simple and delicious plant-based and/or vegan meals and recipes to inspire people of color to eat more sustainably.
Kim’s strong interest in global politics, public health, environmental justice, human rights advocacy, and economic parity drive Kim’s work today.
Global Professional Experience From
ACTFL Spanish Language Proficiency
“Kim’s persistence and determination with learning Spanish and learning about Latinx cultures is prevalent across all her pursuits, both educational and in community service. For this reason, I am confident in stating Kim is an extremely dedicated professional, using her position to advocate and empower marginalized communities.” —Prof. K L. Jenkins
EDUCATION
Kim is a Howard University alumna who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with double minors in Economics and Spanish. She attained her degree with two distinct honors; Kim graduated Magna Cum Laude, was named several consecutive semesters on the Dean’s List, and was also recognized for her Honors Thesis research project on racial discrimination in the labor market in Cali, Colombia.
Kim was an active student on and off campus. She regularly volunteered around DC, helped organize HU students’ first and only Climate Strike, served as Secretary for ¡Changó!, worked as creative director for a student web series, and participated in a week long service trip to New Orleans, Louisiana during her Spring Break to connect with youth in the ‘school to prison pipeline’.
Living in Oaxaca de Juárez, Oax., México for one month, Kim conducted independent research on Afro and Indigenous Mexican populations, honed her Spanish skills, and immersed herself in Oaxaca's rich culture through ecotourism.
See Kim’s Oaxaca travel photos here.
Kim spent a full semester of undergrad studying the political and economic factors of social injustice and human rights abuse in Colombia. At the Universidad del Valle, the #1 public university in the nation, and with CET Academic Programs, Kim spent her working hours reading and writing about crime and justice, armed environmental conflicts and territorialities, race, ethnicity, identity, and ethnic groups, all through an Afro-Colombian lens/perspective.
In her free time, Kim explored other parts of the country, volunteered with local organizations, built long-lasting relationships, and journaled immensely.
See Kim’s Colombia travel photos here.
Graduating from the historic John Muir High School is one of Kim’s greatest honors. Many greats such as Jackie Robinson, Octavia E. Butler, Jackie Long, and more are alumni of John Muir High School. It was at Muir, being dually enrolled in the Arts, Entertainment, and Media Academy and Pasadena City College (#1 in the US) that Kim decided to attend the illustrious Howard University. Both JMHS and the City of Pasadena have legendary African American history. In fact, many graduates of JMHS and residents of Pasadena have gone on to be great successes in a number of fields. Kim’s mother is a very successful alumna of John Muir High School who was also raised in Pasadena. Much of Kim’s extended family attended John Muir both before and after her time there. GO STANGS!
For the majority of her high school career, Kim attended the first ever college-prep boarding and day school in Los Angeles, just some odd miles east of Pasadena. This environment served as the perfect opportunity for her to develop her already strong sense of independence. In the Webb community, Kim is known for being a remarkable student athlete and a trailblazer on and off the field. She effortlessly became a DJ and Manager of KWEB Radio, Sales Lead at the Junior Fountain snack shop, and most notably, one of the first and only female American football players in the school’s 100 year history. Off the field, Kim took special interest in ancient world history, human anatomy & biology, Spanish language, English composition, and digital/media arts.
For K-8 (primary school), Kim was educated at a small, elite private school in Pasadena overlooking the Rose Bowl. The Chandler School, whose motto is “caring, challenging, and committed”, is known to produce skilled minds, critical thinkers, and successful academics. At Chandler, Kim discovered her outstanding athletic abilities, aiding in countless sports victories throughout the region, namely in basketball, soccer, and track & field. She grew a passion for running fast which repeatedly took her to CIF-level competition throughout her sporting career.
In elementary school, Kim learned to play the acoustic guitar. In middle school, Kim dabbled in performing arts and began taking her gifted writing abilities seriously by producing astonishing written works, including poetry, her favorite writing genre.
Kim’s mother and one of Kim’s older sisters are also Chandler School alumnae.