Hometown: Portage, Wis.

Major: Ecology, Evolution, and Behavioral Biology

Interests: the doctor-patient gap, wetland preservation, red-crowned cranes

In high school, Kate visited a wetland reserve in Eastern Russia. Beloit gave her the opportunity to return, helping her get a head-start on the science internships integral to a medical career.

Why Kate wants to wear a stethoscope:

There’s a separation between the medical world and the patients. People go through weeks of testing, and doctors will say, “You have this,” but won’t explain what that is, or why you have it. If you explain things in a way that makes sense to patients, you work with them, you make their lives better. That’s the goal you should have as a doctor. You shouldn’t just be working for results.

How cranes took her halfway around the world:

I spent a month this summer in eastern Russia at a wetland reserve, teaching Russian teenagers about conservation and ecology. I also worked with endangered red-crowned cranes, which are six feet tall. They’re aggressive, and they judge other animals by height, so you have to hold a broom over your head to feed them!

How Kate raised money to travel there in high school:

I stood outside selling Christmas trees in -25 degree weather.

Kate’s (easier) way to return to Russia in college:

I got a grant from Beloit’s Office of International Education.

What cranes teach Kate about human connectedness:

In every culture around the globe these birds are revered for grace and good luck. There aren’t many things that we can share with people in Africa or in Russia. Cranes are it. They show me that everything is international. People are waking up and realizing they have things in common with other people. It’s incredible to be part of the generation who’s realizing internationalism is the next step.

Why Beloit is a great place to get your talk on:

Beloit has helped me examine my own beliefs. I’ve gotten into discussions where I’m like, “This is what I believe, and it’s not what you believe, but let’s talk about it and find out why we believe those things, and what it means to believe those things.” Maybe I’ll change you and you’ll change me, or we’ll go on being the people we are. The important thing, I’ve learned, is to have the discussion.

How Kate is like a suitcase—and Beloit is helping pack:

I love who I see myself turning into at Beloit. While it’s still me, it’s me with a million extra bags I can stuff experiences into. I’ve always been a pack-rat, especially for stories and memories. At Beloit, I have all these different people and professors and experiences; I feel like I’m cramming, cramming, cramming. I have so many things to talk about and so many people to talk about them with who care about what I say.