Katherine M. (IN A NUTSHELL)

Katherine is a senior at University of Southern California, majoring in Geological Sciences and minoring in Spanish. She is passionate about understanding both how the world works, and how humans interact with it. After college, Katherine hopes to use her STEM degree to work on climate policy, but doesn’t discount the appeal of someday working for NASA, or even fulfilling her lifelong dream of being an astronaut. At USC, Katherine is currently the co-president of Bloom, a sustainable fashion club, co-president of the Society for Earth Science Students, and in her free time she writes for the school’s newspaper. She also works part-time in a geochemistry lab on campus tracking radioactive isotope decay in California water samples. Katherine grew up in Fairfax Virginia, just 20 minutes outside Washington, DC. Throughout her life she was a competitive swimmer, and went on to be an assistant coach for her local swim team, Vienna Aquatic Club. While in high school, she was co-president of the Saints for Animal Protection club, and also had a small baking business, Cakes by Katherine LLC, where she baked and sold cakes, pastries, cookies, and more. Katherine’s interests are varied, from creative writing, to baking, to astronomy and earth sciences, but everything she takes on comes down to a fundamental love for learning and exploration. As a former coach and tutor, she loves sharing her knowledge and passions with others, and is excited to have the opportunity to do so.