Katharine O’Gorman
Kate O'Gorman was born in San Diego, California where she lived until she was in 8th grade when she and her family moved to Shaker Heights, OH. While she always accompanied her mother to vote in California, it was in Ohio that Kate first entered the political arena.
In 2006, the tax levy supporting the Shaker Heights School District seemed as if it might not pass for the first time in years. Kate, with other students, formed a student-lead initiative to show the community why, from the students’ view, they should support the local tax levy. Kate found creating campaign literature and organizing volunteers thrilling, especially in her ability to mobilize young people to be involved in the political process.
Now at Barnard College, Kate has made politics an essential part of her college experience. As a junior, Kate is majoring in political science, is a Lead Activist of the Columbia University College Democrats, and an officer of the Columbia chapter of the Roosevelt Institution, a progressive student think-tank. As a Lead Activist, Kate planned a 132-student campaign trip to Virginia to campaign for congressional candidate Judy Feder, Senator Mark Warner, and President Barack Obama. She found it meaningful to be a liaison between this historical election and the students that participated in this trip, and considers it not only a highlight of her college experience, but a driving force in why she aspires to a career in politics. In the Roosevelt Institution, Kate has focused on electoral reform issues, publishing two policy papers on compulsory voting and the elimination of state legislature term limits.
Her commitment to being a woman leader stems from her dedication to her community. After being awarded the Loretta Quade Community Leadership Award as a senior in high school, Kate has realized the impact that a woman leader can have on those around her. Starting as a youth softball coach in Shaker, Kate hoped to model women’s leadership and sportsmanship on the field for the young women she coached. She has maintained relationships with these young women, and helps them to become effective leaders in their own academic and athletic environments.
Kate has brought this dedication to community leadership to Barnard as well, both as a Resident Assistant and as a coordinator of the Harlem Restoration Project (HRP), a service group dedicated to providing role models and activities for 20-30 low-income children from the Columbia community. As a RA for first-year students at Barnard, she consistently encourages her residents to get involved in their new community both inside and outside its gates by exposing them to the leaders of local organizations and encouraging them to run for leadership positions in their chosen organizations. In HRP, she teaches the group to be leaders within their own communities and schools.
The experiences Kate has had as a woman leader in Shaker Heights and in New York have inspired her to pursue politics after Barnard. She hopes to one day be involved in public policy and hopes to lead and inspire future generations of women leaders.