Katherine McGraw

Katherine has known that her career would be to help people, but was not always sure of how she could make the greatest impact—until she participated in high school debate.  It was there that she realized she could use her interest in reading, foreign affairs, and public speaking if she practiced law. She is pursuing a degree in International Studies and Philosophy at Eleanor Roosevelt College. Katherine’s personal experience with assault helped her define what type of law she wants to study; namely, defending victims of sexual assault, because she hopes to do everything in her power to ensure that no one ever feels small.

Katherine tries to practice discipline and control in every aspect of her life: maintaining a steady pace when training for a half marathon, choosing her words very carefully in the mock trial courtroom, or positioning her feet just right when rock climbing.  “It is important to me to be thoughtful in everything I do.” It is the precision of these activities that draws her to them. She tells herself to just take a deep breath and count.

Katherine’s interests have helped her strike a balance in life by improving her mental and physical toughness as well as how to communicate with others. They remind her that sometimes you just need to take a pause and count to three.

She has learned about the terrible treatment of refugees and plans to work with an international organization to help refugees find safety and stability. Next year she is traveling to the Netherlands and hopes to volunteer to help Ukrainian refugees. “In the future, I want to become a human rights lawyer and give power to those who feel powerless.”