NASA astronaut, physician, and Navy SEAL veteran Jonny Kim will be the featured speaker at Harvard Alumni Day on June 5, according to a Mar. 24 announcement from the university.
Kim’s selection as speaker highlights his varied career in service and achievement. President Alan M. Garber said, “Jonny Kim has devoted his life to serving others. In his journey from the front lines to the emergency room to the stars, he has found purpose in being a part of something larger than himself — and he has shown a determination to leave the world better than he found it. I have no doubt that his words will resonate with his fellow alumni, who are guided by those same values.”
In 2025, Kim spent eight months aboard the International Space Station as an Expedition 72/73 flight engineer where he conducted scientific experiments and technology demonstrations for NASA’s Artemis campaign. During this time, he logged 245 days in space and orbited Earth nearly four thousand times.
Kim was born in Los Angeles to South Korean immigrants and has spoken about facing challenges during childhood that led him to enlist in the U.S. Navy after high school. He joined SEAL Team 3 in 2005 and served as a medic among other roles during more than one hundred combat operations, earning Silver and Bronze Stars for treating wounded teammates.
After completing degrees at University of San Diego and Harvard Medical School through the Navy’s enlisted-to-officer program, Kim met physician-astronaut Scott Parazynski who encouraged him toward NASA’s astronaut corps. He became one of twelve selected out of over eighteen thousand applicants in 2017 while still early into an emergency medicine residency.
Now a lieutenant commander holding both naval aviator and flight surgeon designations since 2023, Kim credits family support along with mentors from Harvard for much of his success. All alumni are invited to attend Alumni Day events either on campus or online.
