We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kate Clatterbuck. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kate below.

Kate, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style. Do you have an interesting story from that stage of your career that you can share with us?

In the summer of 2021, I was an intern at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, Virginia in the Advanced Learning department. Outside of work, I started the Powerful Voices Initiative to elevate the stories of historical women as only eight women are mentioned in Virginia’s Standards of Learning for history education compared to seventy-seven men. The Advanced Learning department allowed me to bring this initiative into my work in the Advanced Learning department by hosting a Women in STEM program towards the end of my internship. I had never hosted or organized an event on this scale before and was completely unaware of everything I would need to handle. Two weeks before the event, I thought I was prepared. I had organized a panel of women in STEM, made PowerPoints for the informational sessions, and come up with activities to do with the students. I met with my boss to share my progress and was overwhelmed by the questions I had not even thought about. I had not organized food, reserved a room, promoted the event, or approved the use of any technology. In the past, I had been working on behalf of individuals in the Advanced Learning department, writing quick emails or doing research. I never thought about the details that went on behind the events I was a part of. After this meeting with my boss, I went straight to work submitting reservation forms and creating social media campaigns to invite students. With the kind help from many people throughout the Institute, I was able to pull the event together and had a fantastic time interviewing the panel of women in STEM, having a robot race between student teams, and giving the students a tour of departments within the Institute. The incredible setback of focusing on the big picture rather than the small details was an eye-opening experience. I learned, in those setbacks, to push forward, contacting others for help, and doing one task at a time until everything was complete in a successful, efficient manner.

Kate, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a 2022 graduate from Roanoke College with a Bachelor of Arts in Education Professional Studies. While at Roanoke, I discovered a passion for education policy, specifically the qualifications that surround our classroom teachers, administrator, and school counselors. This passion led me to pursue research opportunities at Roanoke, completing a qualitative case-study of the impact of teachers of color on students and an independent study into the connection between the student-to-counselor ratio and student behavior in Virginia localities. My research was recently accepted to a conference happening this fall and will be published! Initially pursuing additional education after graduation, I decided to begin my career teaching in a classroom to gain an understanding of what our education system looks like within our schools, not just on paper. In August 2022, I was named Miss Virginia Volunteer 2023 with the Miss Volunteer America organization. The Miss Volunteer America organization is a national scholarship pageant, promoting service and volunteerism, while providing opportunities for empowerment for young women. In total, I have been awarded $12,550 in scholarships, as well as in-kind scholarships to multiple colleges. Representing my hometown of Danville, Virginia, I created the PowHERful Voices Initiative to address the gender disparity in our Virginia History Standards of Learning, which only name 8 women compared to 77 men. Through PowHERful Voices, I have spoken with over 400 students about women in our history and how their stories of accomplishments can inspire our own dreams. In partnerships with 9 organizations, I donated 120 books to elementary school libraries about women in our history for educators to utilize in discussions with students about female role-models. As Miss Virginia Volunteer, I am tasked with serving our state through volunteer opportunities, school visits, and connecting our contestants with their communities to create partnerships to foster personal and organizational growth. In June 2023, I will travel to Jackson, Tennessee to compete in the national competition, Miss Volunteer America.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A year ago, I decided I wanted to go to law school to pursue a career in education law. I took the LSAT three times before reaching my goal score and applied to multiple programs that matched my interests. By March, I had been denied to every law school I had applied to and questioned what life after graduation would look like. I had applied for a Master’s program at a state university as a back-up plan, decided to accept a spot in this program, and spent the summer preparing. I moved to a new city, completed the necessary steps to begin this program, and investigated student loans. After months of preparations, I was two weeks from beginning this program when I realized that I was not passionate about what I was getting myself in to. Following the rejections and setbacks, I had not taken the time to reflect on what I wanted my career to look like and what steps would get me there. I decided to pivot, days from beginning the program, to become a classroom teacher giving myself time to reflect on my future career and the space to learn more about our education system from the inside. Luckily (and unfortunately), our country has a large teacher shortage, so jobs were easy to come by. I am now a 6th grade Language Arts teacher taking time to focus on why education is so important to me and what I really want to come next.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Post. Post. Post. As a titleholder in the Miss Volunteer America organization, social media is a necessarily aspect of the responsibility. One thing I have learned is that consistent and intentional posting is important. By developing a brand or aspects you want your viewers to know, you are more easily able to create captions, content, and posts that will attract those who already follow you and will gain new followers as well. Also= use hashtags! It never hurts to reach more people.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/missvavol ; www.instagram.com/k8clatterbuck
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-clatterbuck-33010a211/

Image Credits
Miss Virginia Volunteer Organization Ryan Hunt Photography