Newly Hired Korean-American Police Cadet Overcame Ethnic Expectations to Pursue Her Dream
By Jackson Bell, The Los Angeles Times
SOUTHEAST GLENDALE, Calif. - A self-described adrenaline junkie, Sharon Kim can’t conceive following through with her parents’ wish for her to work as a pharmacist in a safe, but unexciting, drug store.
So breaking what she calls a Korean stereotype of putting family before career, the 18-year-old Kim has decided to take her first step toward her eventual goal of working with the FBI or Secret Service — the Glendale Community College student became a Glendale Police cadet.
“Since I was born in America and I’m American, I feel women can pursue careers, no matter what,” she said. “But my parents think this career might overshadow [family life] because I might work long shifts and not have extra time for family commitments.”
Both Kim and Patrol Officer Matt Hyun-Koo Prokosch — the first Korean-American officer hired to the force — agree that Korean parents, like many immigrants, usually push their children into entering such high-level professional jobs such as doctors and lawyers that allow for better work schedules and pay higher than public safety careers.
With Kim and Prokosch, all it took was a little education and a lot of passion to convince their families that police work was a good choice.
"[Korean immigrants] learn quickly that government jobs in the United States are good jobs, where back in Korea they are not well respected,” Prokosch said.
While Glendale Police are ahead of their firefighting counterparts, both agencies are still trying to diversity their staff to better reflect the community in which they serve.
The police department’s most recent demographics reveal that of 368 sworn and civilian employees, 84 are Latino, 23 are Asian or Pacific Islanders, 17 are Armenian and seven are black, according to city auditors. The Glendale Fire Department, in contrast, hired its first Korean-American firefighter earlier this year, and has no Armenian firefighters.
Korean is one of the more prominent Asian ethnicities in the area, with pockets found in Glendale north of the Ventura (134) Freeway and in La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta, officials said.
“She will have the opportunity to learn about the police culture, and hopefully we can learn about her culture through her,” said Lt. Bruce Fox, who heads the department’s Professional Standards Bureau.
“And at the same time, we might eventually gain a police officer that will be badly needed to serve the Korean community of Glendale.”
But Sharon Kim’s mother, Michelle Kim, plans on supporting her daughter no matter what her career choice is.
“That is what she wants to do and is really pursuing it as a career, and I encourage her to do whatever she likes,” Michelle Kim said.