Campus Celeb: Katie Funderburg

Name: Katie Funderburg

Year: Junior

Hometown: Springfield, IL

Major: Political Science, International Studies

Claim to Fame: : ASG Speaker of the Senate

How did you first get involved with ASG?

The summer before my sophomore year they released applications for Pan-Hellenic Association senators. And I was kind of just looking for more things to get involved with on campus, because I didn’t really get involved with very many things my freshman year. So I decided to apply, and  that’s how I became a senator, and I really liked it.

What is your role as Speaker of the Senate?

The way that ASG exec board members are elected is kind of confusing, because some of them are done through campus-wide elections and some are done through applications, but Speaker of the Senate and Parliamentarian are elected by senators. So I ran in Senate and they voted for me, which was great.  Basically my main role is to run Senate meetings on Wednesdays, so I set the agenda beforehand, and stand up at the podium and conduct business, which is fun. But also I represent the voice of theSenate on the executive board, and work with other members of the parliamentarian body, which is the Parliamentarian and the caucus whips, just to get a pulse on how senators are doing and making sure they’re all reaching their potential.

What’s your favorite aspect about ASG?

My favorite thing about ASG is really just that it pulls together people from so many different parts of campus. I’ve met so many people through ASG that I would have never met otherwise, and that’s been really great for me. But also I feel more included in what’s happening at Northwestern, like you know administrator’s names, and what they’ve been thinking about, and it just made me feel more connected to the school and community, that’s been a really positive thing for me.

What are your personal goals in seeing Northwestern change, and where do you see yourself in the next five years?

In terms of my personal goals, as Speaker I mostly focus on internal aspects of ASG. So my main goal is to make sure that people who are in Senate and are in ASG feel comfortable there, and feel like they’re a part of the organization. And that they can bring their concerns forward and make their voices heard, because sometimes in a room full of people and exec board members and whoever else is there, it can be kind of intimidating to speak up. I just really want to ensure that people, as I said before, are able to reach their full potential and be effective in Senate. So that’s my main goal as Speaker. In terms of my personal goals, oh gosh, a question I get a lot from my parents…but grad school is probably in my future, so that’s hopefully where I’ll be in five years.

What else are you involved with on campus besides ASG?

So right now I’m finishing up my term on the NCDC exec board, I served as their senator last year, which has been a great experience. I’m also involved in my sorority, that’s been a lot of fun for me. I work at the Center for Civic Engagement, I’m a Civic Engagement Fellow there, and I teach piano lessons on weekends through Upbeat, which is a volunteer program. I sit on the student advisory board for the political science department.

What’s your favorite ASG memory?

Last year I served on the election commission, and that was probably one of the highlights of my time at ASG. It was cool to see the elections from the other side, and get to learn a lot more about the candidates and about how that works. I’ve also been on Rules Committee for the past year, which has also been a highlight for me. 

Do you have any female role models?

It’s kind of silly, but my standard answer for whenever people ask me what I want to be when I grow up is Hilary Clinton–not just Secretary of State, but Hilary Clinton. I just really like her. I didn’t really get into politics until I came to college so I didn’t really have any big role models that shaped me as I was growing up. But my mom actually, that is such a cliché answer, but my mom is a local politician in Springfield, and is very involved with the public schools there. She and I disagree on pretty much everything politically, but she is just really passionate about what she does, and I found that really inspiring.