Meet Kate Finnerty’19 a coxswain that studies Mathematics and Mandarin and hopes to have a career that gives access to quality education to all.
Tell me about where you are from:
I’m from Brookline, which is a town just a short car or train ride away from Boston. My family’s lived there for almost ten years now, but before that we actually lived in Tokyo for a few years, which was really awesome. Getting the chance to spend some of my child abroad definitely had an impact on my worldview while growing up.
How does the weather at Amherst compare to the weather back home?:
Not very different, since we’re only a 2-hour car ride away! I do notice that Amherst tends to get more snow, at least in the 2 years I’ve been here. Or maybe I just have to interact with the snow more often here. I don’t know…
Why did you choose to attend Amherst:
I was looking for a small liberal arts school (classic, I know). Beyond that, Amherst was a comfortable distance at home (not too far, not too close), and the campus was beautiful. It epitomizes what a stereotypical college campus looks like to me! I can’t deny that being a legacy student also had an impact: I attended summer camps at Amherst growing up and I already felt a little like part of the community because of reunions and things like that.
What are you interested in both academically and leisurely?
Well, I’m majoring in math, so I guess that helps answer that question. I’ve also studied Mandarin since middle school and plan on adding Asian Languages and Civilizations as a second major… eventually. I don’t know if everyone would call it “leisure,” but crew is a huge part of my life. I rowed for four years in high school and switched to coxing (the small person who yells and steers, haha) when I got to Amherst. I’m coxing for the men’s team now, and it’s awesome. It’s a huge time commitment but crew as a sport has become such a big part of who I am, and my teammates are some of the most important people in my life. Practice is what I look forward to the most every day… so even though it’s work, I guess it’s also leisure!
What are you passionate about the most?:
One issue that I really would like to address in some shape or form over the course of my career is inequality in both education access and quality. Education, especially for young children, has such a profound impact on social and economic outcomes, so one could really argue that it’s a significant root of many of the social and economic inequalities today. That’s on a broad scale, but on an individual level… isn’t it just so deeply unfair that not everyone has the same chance to do something as simple and fulfilling as learning?
Tell me the best memory of your first year:
Can I just pick all of spring break? What I think is one of the best parts of being on crew is that we just absolutely ramp it up over spring break, and it’s so fun. The downside is that you don’t get to leave campus… But instead you’re on the water twice a day, spending so much time with the team, and then of course getting many chances to have fun outside of practice, haha. That was the week I really felt like I found my place on the crew team and gained a lot of confidence both socially and as a coxswain. I was really proud of both myself and the rowers for everything we did that week.
What are your plans for the rest of your time at Amherst and beyond:
Well, I’m going to study… and eat food… and sleep… just kidding, just kidding. Besides completing my majors, there are a lot of departments that I want to take some courses in that I haven’t yet. Economics, English, and history are the big three off the top of my head. I haven’t taken a history class since junior year of high school! That’s crazy to me. I’m going to continue with both the crew and mock trial teams. In the future, I’d like to spend time working in education, nonprofit, or both! Besides that, it’s a mystery!