Hello, my name is Conrad—and welcome to my educational origin story. Two years ago, I dropped out of 8th grade and co-founded what would become Conrad Academy—a bold experiment to reimagine learning around curiosity, creativity, and purpose. It all started with a phone call. One day, my guidance counselor reached out. My dad picked up the phone and heard the official report: “Conrad has more absences and tardies than any other student in middle school. How can we help?”

Later that day, my parents sat me down and said, “We’re going to meet with your guidance counselor. What do you want us to tell her?” I said, “Tell her the truth.” “What’s the truth?” “That school is stupid, useless, and boring.” That moment lit the spark. Instead of trying to force me back into a system that didn’t fit, my parents listened—and helped me build something better. My dad, Edward Oh Kim, became my first principal. He brought structure, strategy, and daily deep dives into everything from philosophy to business. My older brother Jared noticed I was learning more than he was in traditional school—so he dropped out too and joined me.

Eventually, we realized we needed someone who could guide both of us with more grace, wisdom, and balance. That’s when we turned to our mom, Suzanne Oh Kim. She stepped in as the new principal and brought her background as a physician, her calm leadership, and her full heart to Conrad Academy. She said “yes”—and everything changed. What started as an experiment has become a movement in our family. We’re still at the beginning—but every day feels like an adventure. And this ride? It’s been pretty cool.