Growing up in the south during the 1970s, Katy Strzepek was exposed to many different people with various viewpoints. Her parents knew that she and her two brothers would witness racial intolerance throughout their lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. Because of that, they taught their children to not only avoid holding prejudices based on race, but to speak out against all forms of discrimination. Additionally, Katy’s mother instilled in her the belief that she could do anything her brothers could.
Throughout her years as a history major at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, her professors stressed the importance of helping the oppressed be heard. As a graduate student at Northwestern University, Katy studied African history with an emphasis on gender studies. This background in understanding and standing up against discrimination eventually led her to St. Ambrose, where she is the director of women’s studies, holds many leadership positions, and has been chosen as this week’s campus celebrity.
Not only does Katy teach women’s studies and African history classes, but her influence can be seen on campus in many other capacities as well. Katy speaks out for collegiettes™ who are oppressed here on campus and others who need a voice throughout the community. The Love Your Body campaign is one of Katy’s current projects, which readers may have seen advertised on campus sidewalks. As a member of the Ambrose Women for Social Justice, Katy helps to bring awareness to social issues. She is also the advisor for many groups on campus, including Triota, the women’s studies honor society, and Students Making A Difference (SMAD).
Because of her many roles on campus, Katy is involved in many upcoming events that may pique the interest of collegiettes™. Soon, SMAD will be inviting the SAU community to make baby blankets for local families in need. The fabric was purchased with money from the recent puppy chow bake sale. Additionally, Katy is a part of the Clothesline Project, which has recently been advertised around campus. This will be taking place on Thursday, October 27. This is a “visual display of t-shirts created to honor women who have suffered from violence in their lives.” The intention is to raise awareness of violence against women. Finally, on November 2nd, she will be working to raise awareness about immigration, which she considers to be “one of the most important human rights topics of our era.” That evening, the women’s studies department will be co-sponsoring a showing of the film, “abUSed: The Postville Raid.” This is a documentary about an immigration raid that happened in Iowa and is one of the largest in U.S. history. The director will also be here to discuss the film.
On top of all of this, Katy also finds time for a life outside of Ambrose. She is married to Dr. Ryan Dye, the director of international education at SAU and a history teacher. They have three daughters: Elyse, 11, Molly, 8, and Madelyn, 6.
Katy has dedicated her life to speaking out for women and other oppressed groups. She stands up for women’s rights and has made that effort a prominent one here on the Ambrose campus. Katy is a woman who all collegiettes™ can look to for inspiration and ideas on how to get involved on campus. The difference she has made during her years at SAU is nothing less than celebrity worthy, and that is why she is this week’s campus celebrity.
When asked what she would do if she had the power to make one change in the world, Katy answered, “I would end poverty and discrimination. I think so much misery in the world is caused by poverty, and I hope that if we all had what we needed economically, we could also stop war, inequalities related to race and gender, and other problems.”