Name: Katie M.
Year: Class of 2013
Majors: International Studies and Writing Seminars
Campus Activities:
Varsity Track & Field Member
Kappa Kappa Gamma Sister
President of Panhellenic Council
President of Students for Environmental Action
Copy Editor for the JHU News-Letter
Writing Center Tutor
You were Panhellenic President this year. How did you find that experience?
The opportunity to work with members of all of the sororities and fraternities on campus was great, and I really enjoyed having a hand in the events that so many members of the Hopkins community enjoy. We created a Code of Ethics and Judicial Codes for the Panhellenic community, so hopefully those will help us become even stronger moving forward. I made a lot of new friends and had an overall great time. The most challenging part of the experience was balancing the sometimes conflicting desires of different chapters and different members of the Greek community. Overall though, it was great to be able to share how much I’ve come to love Greek life with a new group of women and to talk to the new members as they were going through recruitment. Looking forward, we’re all incredibly excited that that will be expanding to include Kappa Alpha Theta next year!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I hope to have earned my Masters in Public Policy, to have travelled and seen new parts of the world, and to have made the world better for at least a few people. I’d like to be working in environmental advocacy or policy, and hopefully still be in touch with the amazing friends I’ve made at Hopkins!
You’ll be graduating in just a few short weeks. Looking back, what has been your favorite class at Hopkins?
Definitely Screenwriting with Marc Lapadula. He is one of the best teachers I’ve had in my four years at Hopkins because he takes a personal interest in his students, and treats them with respect. He’s very friendly, incredibly talented at helping his students grow, and an overall great guy. I’ve always loved movies, and having the chance to write a screenplay and come away from the semester with a finished product I was proud of was really wonderful, and I felt like I not only learned a lot, but really improved as a writer and storyteller. Unfortunately Marc will be teaching full time at Yale next year, but hopefully Hopkins will get him back soon!
What is your favorite quote?
I keep a book of quotes, actually. It’s largely full of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Oscar Wilde, but my favorite quote going into graduation and beyond is, “Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” –Kurt Vonnegut
Favorite movie?
This changes weekly, but probably The Sound of Music because my mom and I watch it every year. Or Dirty Dancing, because Johnny Castle is so fabulous.
What is a fun or unique fact about you?
I’ve shaken hands with Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.