Want to meet a modern day wonder woman? Check out Kate McLaughlin.
This 21-year-old nursing major here at UMaine might be what one calls crazy…and by that I mean crazy good! You probably know Kate, or maybe you’ve heard of her and you most definitely have seen her. This cutie is always around campus participating in one of the many clubs, organizations and sports she is affiliated with. Her incredibly busy schedule has her balancing a variety of things and is also one of the reasons why she is such a fantastic Campus Celeb!
Having grown up in Durham, ME (super close to Freeport, the fantastic and legendary home of the global brand, L.L. Bean) Kate went to high school in Brunswick, ME. Growing up Kate was not as academically driven as she was now at college. While she still was an honor roll student, she had yet to find her ideal balance between her scholastic and social lives, “I was almost always late to class because I would stop and talk to people in the hallways and on top of that being a naturally slow walker, you find it hard to make it anywhere on time,” Kate commented.
This multi-talented chatterbox has always been one to get involved in a variety of activities. In high school Kate not only played four years of soccer but also tried winter cheerleading, tennis and was on the swim team. Here at UMaine Kate is involved in a multitude of activities: Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, where she was a Panhellenic Delegate for three terms and Athletics Chair for one term, Rho Gamma for Formal Sorority Recruitment for two years, a member and the Secretary of the prestigious All Maine Women organization, part of Team Maine as a student ambassador, the Greek honor society Order of Omega, Orono Student Nurses Association, UMaine Tennis team and on top of all that…participated in two alternative spring break trips; Utah Plateau Restoration in 2009 and New Orleans Project Lazarus in 2010. Phew, try explaining that answer in an interview question.
Not only is Kate actively involved in such wonderful groups but her involvements have led her to receive an array of awards and honors as well, including: Homecoming Queen 2010, Dean’s List, acceptance into Order of Omega, induction into All Maine Women’s Society and was also chosen as the Most Inspirational Sister by AOII new member class.
In order to keep things balanced and not go crazy with her intense workload, Kate loves to take time out to get coffee and chat with friends. When she gets overwhelmed with schoolwork or stressed about life in general she knows she always has someone to turn to, “I am honestly so lucky to have the friends that I do because they always know the right things to say.” When it comes to distressing with food, (we all have our vices!), Kate loves the infamous Mrs. Dunster’s donuts, “They are just about the unhealthiest thing to consume but they taste so good that I couldn’t care less!” Her late night studying habits have come with the stress we all know too well, “The best thing I ever did to relieve stress was dance on the tables in the library with some friends when it was closing. I don’t know how I have not been kicked out of the place by now!”
Her secret to her madness lies within caffeine and no sleep, “If anyone ever sees me during finals week, I will most likely have NOS energy drink, DD iced coffee, and a bag of chocolate covered pretzels. I would not recommend trying it, but this is how it all gets done!” Kate said.
This role model has big dreams post-graduation for herself and it seems as if she’s on the right path to achieving them. Kate’s dream job has certainly changed over the years, ranging from a professional soccer play at age five to a “professional Mt. Everest climber” to an archeologist who uncovered the secrets of ancient Egypt for a living to her current dream of traveling to third world countries where she would create medical clinics for people who do not have access to healthcare. Kate explained,
“I would also like to go to places that have been affected by disaster, poverty, or any kind of crisis and provide hands on help to those people. In the future, if I have decided to get another degree, I would like to be involved in climate change research and maybe travel to the poles to analyze ice cores.” Wow, whatever happened to a good old fashion teacher or doctor? Kate is reinventing tradition and bringing dreams to new heights.
Directly after graduation Kate has bigger plans than to hop right into the normative workforce, instead she would like to travel to different countries either volunteering or having the job of a traveling nurse, “I am not quite ready to jump into the normal civilian workforce so as of right now I hope to become a Navy nurse or join the Peace Corps for a few years,” she said.
Five or ten years from now seems like a long time into the future that many of us cannot foresee and Kate is no exception, “It’s hard to gage where I would be five or ten years from now because I tend to live in the moment and make decisions on what to do next based off what my heart feels like doing at the exact moment in time,” Kate remarked. While she may not have specifics Kate would love to see herself helping others and exploring the world. “In the future, aside from work and volunteering, I see myself getting married to a man who is adventurous and hard working, having a couple kids, and if the finances are stable, adopting a few more! I will definitely be a soccer mom with a sweet van and the loudest one at my kid’s games!” she said.
While she still has another golden year left here at UMaine, Kate has had so many wonderful memories on campus that she can’t pinpoint a specific one,
“My favorite part of UMaine is not the beautiful campus or even the hundreds of things to do, but the people I have met here. Everyone has different backgrounds and unique personalities that mesh together to form one great community. I have found that UMaine in general is composed of a lot of down to earth, friendly people and you can’t seem to walk anywhere without running into someone you know,” Kate commented.
Her love of not only UMaine as a university itself but college as a whole has left Kate without many regrets. The one thing she would change if she could go back in time on her experience here would be to pick a major earlier as she was undecided for two years and transferred into the intense nursing program here late. Unfortunately this set Kate up to be “super-senior” next year, “I love this University and do not mind staying longer, but the loans are starting to add up,” she said. Her other secret correlated to her experience here is that she wished she had musical talent so that she could have had the opportunity to join the pep band that plays at all the sports games,
“Even if it’s the hundredth time they have played a song, they still put the same passion and energy into it, as if they were playing if for the first time. I love their UMaine spirit and their power to get people pumped for athletics,” Kate revealed.
This all around go-getter enjoys hanging out with friends, going to Bear Brew and checking out whatever event is happening on campus, whenever she has a free moment. When she’s not living in Fogler library, Kate also enjoys going with her AOII sisters to greet troops at the Bangor airport, “the troops really appreciate having people there to welcome them or wish them the best on their flight out.”
Kate’s favorite place on campus falls in a tie between the mall and the Buchanan Alumni House, “I love the mall because it is a great central place for people to gather and hangout,” she said. One of her reasons for falling in love with UMaine was the amount of green space on campus, “It is nice to be able to pass a soccer ball or read a book on the grass and not have to be surrounded by concrete like some other campuses I saw in cities.” The Buchanan Alumni House is another favorite of Kate’s because, “it is the connection between current students, past students and potential new students. The best part is that this building is full of tradition. Sometimes when I need inspiration, I go in and look at the walls that have information about past graduates who have used what they have learned here to change the world,” Kate said.
All in all, this well-rounded, personable student can be summed up in a variety of adjectives but she is simply a modern-day wonder woman. A little known fact about this pint-sized sensation is that last year in support of Earth Day she joined the naked green bike crew and rode around campus yelling “Happy Earth Day” to everyone she saw. The best part? While riding around on her bike Kate passed her professor who she would be taking a quiz with 20 minutes after the tour!
Whether you know Kate well, have heard her name among the wondrous accomplishments of students here on campus or have seen her doing a lap around Fogler, you can now understandably be impressed with all of this young marvel’s accomplishments!