Katie Opens Acceptance Letter, Breaks Into Hives

Proof: I just opened my acceptance letter from Teachers College at Columbia. Let me just tell you how big a deal this is. Teachers College is the #1 ranked School of Education in the country. For Education Policy, it ranks #4. It was founded 1887 to teach the teachers who teach the poor. Their motto? "Educational equity: a moral imperative for the 21st century." Is there a better place for a girl who wants to change the world through education to figure out a way? Can't imagine. Am now planning to take the gov up on that CCRAA offer.

This

The Waiting Game

So, I've got my reservations when it comes to talking about graduate school with People in General, mostly because I'm so emotionally invested at the moment that the possibility of facing the humiliation of explaining (should I need to) that I was rejected, is just too much to bear. That said, I can't shut up about it.

That said, I'm having a shitty week. I want to put something positive out there. So here is this: one of the many personal statements I slaved over these past few months. I'm not saying it's my best writing, but it's a reaffirmation of one of the goals I'm working toward and that is needed at the mome.

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When I graduated from college in 2005, words like “advocacy,” “equity,” and “social justice” were not a part of my daily lexicon. As a history major, I was instead focused on pursuing a career in museum work, excited by the idea of working for institutions that provide access to knowledge and experiential learning opportunities for children and adults alike. Two years later, here I am, instead applying to the Politics and Education M.A. Program at Teachers College, because my passion for education and community engagement has morphed into a fervid commitment to service.

The turning point came six months after graduation when I accepted a job at the Access to Justice Institute, part of the law school at Seattle University, which, as a Jesuit university, is dedicated to "educating lawyers for a just and humane world." Immediately upon joining the Institute, I found myself embedded in a world of public interest attorneys and social justice advocacy. Since then, my days have been defined by constant, and often frustrating, revelations about the class disparities, race and gender discrimination, legal, health and education inequities that are pervasive in our communities locally and nationwide.

I continued to pursue my passion for museum work for some time after joining the Institute, but found the disconnect between my interest in museums and my daily work increasingly uncomfortable to reconcile: my weekends were spent in the classroom learning how to correctly label and store 200-year old textiles while my weekdays were spent assisting severely disadvantaged populations in the middle of often desperate situations. It soon became obvious that no museum exhibit, no matter how well researched and brilliantly marketed, was going to change the reality of the survivors of abuse, immigrants, and disabled, homeless, and non-English speaking clients I interact with everyday at work.

As hard as my colleagues and I work to assist clients and educate students about opportunities for service, however, I am often frustrated that our position is a reactive one: relieving symptoms, not providing long-term solutions to underlying problems. This experience at the Institute has drawn me toward policy work as a more direct and effective means of affecting change.

As someone who believes education has the potential to disrupt seemingly perpetual patterns of inequality, I am especially interested in policy and community work that supports educational equity and advocates for the well-being of children and families. Our current social policies are often adversarial in alleviating stresses on poor families, which in turn are stresses on children, creating patterns of adversity from a young age. I want to play a part in creating an infrastructure of sustainable and compassionate educational policy solutions, with the hope that through education we can equip future generations with the tools to alleviate the disproportionate burdens that exist in so many of our communities.

The values of Teachers College reflect the same values that have propelled me into the field of education policy: a desire to understand the multi-faceted social problems that undercut educational progress, and a commitment to developing solutions. For those reasons I am especially drawn to the Campaign for Educational Equity and the work of Professors Amy Wells and Edmund Gordon, all of which I would consider invaluable sources of guidance, information and inspiration during my time at Teachers College. With our shared values and commitment to service, Teachers College can be assured that their investment in me as a student will be nurtured and constantly reinvested throughout my career.

Happy 199th Abe!

Breaking News: Caucus Goers, African-Americans, Hillary Says 'Eh, No Big Deal'

So you know, I spent the majority of the last week working my ass off to get people to the caucus on Saturday. I spent all day Saturday working my ass off at the caucus, getting people to their precinct locations, registering new voters, doing anything I could to help out.

I'm planning to write about how incredible an experience it was, how inspiring it was, how good things come out of the chaos of sticking hundreds of neighbors into the same room and talking about politics, but first I just need to point out ...

Hillary doesn't think it matters much! Because apparently I fall into one of two categories: "activist" or "African-American" and God knows neither of those actually represent the American electorate.

Tell that to the 1,000 people who showed up at my caucus location on Saturday. And the hundreds and of thousands who showed up to theirs around the state and elsewhere in the country.

You know why they showed up, Hills? Because for once in our lifetime someone (not you) has actually inspired us to quit complaining and do something about our state of affairs. Someone made us feel like our vote actually mattered, beyond this "Red State/Blue State" 51-49-is-good-enough-for-me bullshit.

It's a good thing 70% of us Washingtonians didn't cast our useless vote for her anyway. Turns out she didn't want them!

Cry it out, bitch, and Stay Classy, Mrs. Clinton!

Washington Friends of Obama! CAUCUS THIS WEEKEND!!

Friends friends!

If you love Barack like I do, you will get off your duff and caucus this Saturday, February 9th! Ignore your Voters Pamphlet: YOUR VOTE IN THE PRIMARY ELECTION DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING. In the state of Washington, Democratic candidates are determined by the CAUCUS. No, I can't explain why we have both; we just do.

The WA Caucus is happening this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Find out where your caucus location is here: http://www.wa-democrats.org/ It is NOT necessarily the same place you go to vote so don't be smarmy and skip this step and screw it up, smartypants. This site should also tell you which precinct you're in, but it's also printed on your voter registration card.

So what's the deal with a caucus? 1) You actually have to SHOW UP 2) The candidate with the most people physically IN THE ROOM at each location will win the biggest percentage of delegates. Kinda old timey, eh? Yes! Fun!

How it works:

1) You show up at your precinct's caucus location. Technically the first vote does not happen until 1:30 p.m. (If someone tries to convene that shit early, you have every right to raise a fuss and call foul!). SHOW UP EARLY. Showing up early = less chaos = a big huge obvious Obama presence. Fact: I'm going at noon.

2) Most locations will have a precinct captain who will run the show. They'll have the sign in sheets, tally forms etc. MAKE SURE YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT LOCATION FOR YOUR PRECINCT!! Once there, just hang out and wait for directions. Cowlitz County peeps, I don't know if CoCo is as organized as King Co, but if you need help/don't now what the F to do, feel free to call your friends at the Seattle Office at (206) 529-3859. Or call me at (206) 409-5054 because my caucus location is downtown Seattle and we will have knowledgeable people up the wazoo.

3) At 1:30, you'll vote for the first time. Once this vote is taken, they'll announce the number of delegates each candidate would win at this point. If there are undecided voters, this is your opportunity to win them over! Be nice! Don't fight! Now is also the time for a designated person from each candidate's group will give a 1 minute declaration on why they're voting for their candidate.

4) After these speeches, anyone who wishes to change his/her vote will have the opportunity to do so. Then the second and final vote will be counted.

5) Don't leave yet! Once all of the votes are counted, and all of the delegates divvied, people actually need to be appointed delegates. So, say your precinct gives out 7 delegates, and Barack gets 5 of them. Well, five people need to actually BE THERE to stand as delegates. If there are only, say, four people left, the delegates go to Hill! DONT DO THIS!

6) If you're want to fight your way all the way to the National Convention in Denver, be a delegate! Being a delegate means being counted at a few different caucuses before then, but, FUN!

Good things to know:

1) Percentage of people = percentage of delegates. If the Barack/Hill ratio is 70/30, Barack will get 70% of the delegates.

2) There are great resources online for info on caucusing:

- This guy taught me to caucus, and knows everything: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/nathanwilliams/CGBFC

- WA Democrats: http://www.wa-democrats.org/ has a ton of info on caucusing

3) You don't have to be a registered Democrat to caucus for Barack! Independents! Republicans! If you're into Barack, caucus!

4) In fact, you don't even have to be registered to vote to caucus for Barack! Just show up and you can register there!

Also, I know just a little more than a little about this, so if you need any additional info, lemme know! I'm happy to figure out the answers for you if I don't know them! Seattleites, the Obama Headquarters downtown is open from 9-9 everyday and staffed with awesome volunteers who can answer a million more questions than I can, as well. 614 1st Ave (phone number above).

Yay for 2008!

Oh yeah, Republicans and Hillary fans can caucus too, but I'm not going to encourage either, so you're on your own with those deets :)