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Troup High graduate and stand-out soccer player Yuri Kim will soon be heading off to Colorado as the young Tiger alum was accepted into the prestigious Air Force Academy.

Having a family with a tradition of military service, joining the Air Force was Kim’s goal for a while. His father, Byunghun Kim, served in the South Korean Army before moving to the United States, where Yuri was born. 

Working in and around planes has been a longtime dream of the recent Troup grad.

“Ever since I was a kid, my parents took me to flyovers and military bases. That really got me going, interest-wise. Then, as I grew older and I wanted to go to college, the Air Force was just a good option for me, because of all the memories I had as a child,” Kim said.

The Academy will also help his long-term goals in Aerospace Engineering.

“I was really interested in Aerospace, and I discovered that the Air Force Academy had a really good aerospace program, and I thought of having the opportunity to serve my country while pursuing the things I love. Air Force Academy would give me both of those options,” Kim said.

While at Troup High, Yuri was a great student, earning the STAR student award for the school. The award is given out annually to the student with the top SAT score for the year. He also participated in JROTC at Troup, where he achieved the rank of Senior Corps Commander. He also enjoyed competing in soccer with the Tigers.

Heading off to the Academy, Yuri is ready for a different set of challenges.

“I’m excited for the new challenges. It’s a new environment. And, Air Force Academy, it’s like the [top] 1% of all students, so it’ll be interesting to see how I compete against them,” he said.

Soccer was a big passion for Kim in high school, so he hopes to continue playing, though he isn’t going to the school on a soccer scholarship. He hopes to earn a spot on the Academy’s soccer team as a walk-on, saying he was not recruited for soccer. He still won’t need student loans, though.

“Academy tuition is free. I have to serve five years afterwards, mandatory. So it’s an investment in me from the country. Hopefully, it pays off,” Kim said.

“Being the captain of the soccer team, soccer is one of my main passions, and being the captain and leading my school, representing my school, was something that meant a lot to me. So it was nice playing for them,” Yuri said.

“I have enjoyed living in Troup County, and I feel like just this environment in LaGrange, living with friends and family, definitely helped me get into the Air Force Academy,” Kim said. “I’ll miss my friends, family, and playing soccer to represent my school.”