Student Profiles
Student: Kathryn (Kate) Evans
School: Macalester College
Major/Minor: Sociology and Educational Studies double major
HECUA Program: Metro Urban Studies Term (MUST)
Who is Kate Evans?
I grew up on Chicago’s North side, in the diverse, vibrant Rogers Park neighborhood. My childhood was awesome! I went to magnet programs within the Chicago Public Schools system and was lucky enough to be surrounded by classmates who were just as nerdy and into learning as I was. As a result of this, my formative years were full of lots of museum trips, book clubs, and Shakespeare readings. I was one of those kids who needed a weekly planner to track all her after-school activities, and I can confidently say that I will never again be as busy and pressed for time as I was at age ten. I also think I may have peaked intellectually around then as well.
Like almost every little girl I have ever met, I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up until I was about twelve and realized that the fact that I am very easily grossed out by blood would be a major impediment to my success. I floated around aimlessly for a few years before realizing that something needs to be done to fix the education system that had been serving me very well, but was neglecting the needs of many other children across the city.
Looking back on my childhood, I realize that I was extremely fortunate to receive such a nurturing education in Chicago and that I was ignorant of how privileged I was in this regard until I got to high school and saw the inequities of the Chicago Public School system. I was upset and outraged when I realized that every child did not have access to all the amazing resources that had gone into shaping my worldview, and that outrage has shaped my desire to help reform the American education system.
Who or what has been influential/inspiring in your life?
Although I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by awesome, inspirational people, I think that the most influential experiences of my life thus far took place at HECUA. So many of the field speakers we met have life experiences that are completely different from mine, and have to deal with issues that I could not even imagine facing. Even if I did not share specific interests with every field speaker, I was continually moved by their passion and dedication to whatever their issue was.
What interested you about the HECUA program you participated in?
I applied to HECUA because I was so tired of hearing about social inequality as if it were a lofty, theoretical concept instead of a pressing problem that affects the day-to-day lives of millions of people in the Twin Cities alone. To me, HECUA represented a chance to learn by doing something, and I was so excited to get the chance to actually work to fix the issues that I had been analyzing in the classroom. Although I had originally wanted to study abroad in a different country, I think that I got an equally rich cross-cultural experience exploring the Twin Cities through community organizations and internships with HECUA, and I get the satisfaction of saying that I now feel like a part of the St. Paul community.
What was your most memorable field speaker or class activity and why?
The most memorable moments from HECUA all come from our unit on racism and the honest, probing discussions that we had on our own experiences with privilege and discrimination. I have never had an experience in which the theoretical perspectives on a topic and the personal opinions and stories of my classmates have blended so seamlessly! The result was a really powerful week-long dialogue on the meaning of race in America in which the deep-seated beliefs of many classmates (including myself) were tested and changed, and I truly think that I grew into a more conscious and open-minded person as a result.
Where did you intern while participating in your HECUA program?
I interned with the Saint Paul Mayor’s office and worked specifically on the Second Shift Initiative, which is geared toward providing equitable access to quality after school programs to all children in the city. I was attracted to this internship because I knew I would be working with education policy and was excited to learn what would be expected of me if I chose to continue down that career path. Although I was initially intimidated by the fact that I was working alongside politicians with the potential to enact real and lasting change, I felt immediately welcome at City Hall. In fact, the part of my internship that I enjoyed the most was that I really felt like my opinions mattered. I was invited to conference calls and meeting with city officials, my questions and opinions were listened to, and I was relied on to make contributions to policy proposals and initiatives. I was certainly never treated as “just an intern,” and the attitudes of my supervisor and co-workers really contributed to my learning experience at my internship site.
What were/are your impressions of your HECUA program director and/or other teaching faculty that took part in leading the program?
The HECUA staff is amazingly friendly, and it’s obvious that the teachers really care about the growth and well-being of their students. The teaching faculty really went above and beyond—class discussions and lectures were not only informative, but thought-provoking, deep, and interesting. Even though I only knew the professors for a semester, I definitely feel like I’ve made a stronger connection with them than with many professors at my home institution, and I think that speaks to their level of dedication to the students and to the class itself.
How did the HECUA program impact your life?
Before HECUA, I felt like I had a general idea of what I wanted to end up doing for a living, but no idea how to go about getting there. HECUA helped me fine-tune my career aspirations by making me aware of the potential avenues available for me, and also by challenging my reasons for wanting to go into education policy and some of the underlying assumptions about the role of education in society. Because of HECUA, I can now say with absolute certainty that I know what I want to be when I grow up, and why.
What gives you hope?
It’s hard to answer this question without sounding slightly corny, so I’m just going to go for it. I get hope from seeing children feel accepted and successful as learners, and am motivated by the thought that every child deserves access to the same resources that I was so lucky to have had as a child. I truly believe that we can work toward solving so many of America’s current problems by making sure that children have the chance they deserve to grow into confident, competent adults. I want to see a country in which money is spent on nurturing children instead of on rehabilitating or incarcerating them, and I want to do everything I can to work toward making that a reality.
