Kate Peterson, Class of 2005

Hi GFACers! I’m Kate, and my involvement with Girls for a Change goes way, way back. I was a founding member of Girls for a Change back in 1997, was on the core committee in high school, and returned to help plan the 2010 conference as an AmeriCorps volunteer.

Having graduated from Bozeman High in 2005, I attended Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, and graduated with honors in English and a minor in French. I studied abroad in Marseille, France for a semester, and competed in Speech & Debate throughout my college career, placing two events in the top 5 at nationals in 2009. As for the future, I plan to pursue a PhD in English and teach at the college level. I’m currently a finalist for a Fulbright English teaching position in Turkey, and in the midst of deciding on a graduate school to attend for my master’s degree.

I truly, sincerely feel that Girls for a Change has helped me pursue and achieve these goals. Since I was a little girl, GFAC has always been there for me. The mentors I have met, friends I have made and successes I have accomplished through Girls for a Change have fueled my interests and passions, and helped me make the right choices along the way. GFAC gave me a safe place to explore what I wanted to be and what I wanted to achieve, as a little girl, a teenager and a young woman. I am incredibly thankful to this wonderful program for the support and inspiration I received as a kid, the opportunities and encouragement I received as a teenager, and the professional training I’m now receiving as a young adult. I can’t imagine my life without Girls for a Change, and I can’t wait to see where all of you take it in the future!