During the last two summers, Kate worked for an agricultural research program at Oregon State University that focuses on improving yield and disease tolerance in wheat varieties specific to the Pacific Northwest. She spent the fall semester of her junior year studying in Santiago, Chile at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; in addition to her coursework in rural development and agronomy, Kate completed an internship and project focused on determining the actual cost savings of sustainable agricultural practices. On campus, she has been a Resident Assistant and enjoyed working with other students in the residential community. Kate is fluent in Spanish and has a working knowledge of French. Her goal upon graduation is to pursue research on agroecological systems and their relationship to rural livelihoods, focusing on resilience to and mitigation of climate change.
