Kait Krolik

You most likely know Kait Krolik from either seeing her name attached to numerous programs or associations her on campus or are lucky enough to be her friend. Kait is an amazing woman whose dedication to improving Siena is inspiring to all who meet her. Hopefully, after reading this, you are inspired to be the best you can be too.

HC: Hey Kait, so what are you involved in here at Siena?

Kait: I am involved in less now than I have been since I am graduating. I used to run the after school programs for the Franciscan Center. There are two after school programs, I ran them both. I founded one, STAR, with a couple of friends my freshman year. I stayed as the coordinator of it until last semester (Fall 2015) in addition to working with the tutoring program.

In addition, I was on the Student Senate as the RHA representative, I did that last year. I served as Senate’s representative for Unity Committee, which most people haven’t really heard of it. It’s a place for most of the school’s affinity clubs, groups, and student government organizations to come together and discuss  some solutions to the problems on campus. This semester I’m serving as the RHA rep because I enjoy being a part of those conversations and voicing my ideas.

And then I worked at the Writing Center until recently (which is an awesome resource if anyone has not used it) and I played rugby and was the vice president of rugby last year. I’ve also interned off campus. Lastly, I was one of the students that wrote to the administration asking for some changes to how the diversity core curriculum is done and discussing black culture on campus. I was a part of a few attempts to get the school to reform on a bunch of stuff.

HC: So you’ve been involved in the Washington Semester Program?

Kait: No I didn’t, that’s actually not true even though many people think that. In reality, I took the semester off to intern at the White House. I went to D.C., lived downtown, and I worked in the White House. So I essentially put my formal education on hold for the opportunity to serve the president. I was lucky, I didn’t have to take any classes, but I worked 40 to 60 hours a week. With the Washington Semester, you still take classes and do a part time internship. I set up my own internship and when I found out, I withdrew from my classes with the help of the Liberal Arts office.

HC: You are doing this stuff and somehow you still find the time to do CrossFit.

Kait: Yeah, I do CrossFit! I am currently rocking a nasty bruise on my collar bone that I am really proud of. I’ve never gotten one on my collar bone before.

HC: How do you make time for all of this?

Kait: I wish I could say that I’m better at time management than I am. I used to be really good at it, but then I got less busy and motivated. Freshman through junior year I was really good at doing what I needed to efficiently. When I’m more busy with things I am passionate about, I’m better at time management. I know it may sound like a lot, but I am only taking classes, working two jobs and doing CrossFit.

HC: What have you learned from the new class, Presidential Nominations?

Kait: I mean, when you take a class on a topic, you begin to pay more attention to it when it’s in the news. So with this class, I have paid a lot more attention to the election. Dr. Collens knows so much about elections, this cycle, and the candidates. He’s such a great resource in that class, so I have learned a lot from him. I liked that our class (the writer is also in this class) is mixed when it comes to political identities. We engage about our perspectives, which is interesting. I’ve gotten better at articulating my points and have also grown more understanding of others’ perspectives. Most importantly, I have learned a lot about delegates and that is something that everyone asks, “how delegates work?” I used to tell people to “Google it,” but now I can actually explain it.

HC: What do you enjoy most about working for the campaigns?

Kait: Oh, I love campaigns. It was one of those “a-ha” moments for me because I want to run for office eventually. Campaigning will be a part of my life, so enjoying it is important. I loved engaging with random strangers either through phone banking or going door to door. I liked that we met with a local representative. She was interesting, she was experienced as a public servant, which is the type of representative I would like to be. I want to help people, engaging with them, and being a part of the community I am representing. My experience on the campaign reaffirmed that kind of future is very viable for me.

HC: Plus you were one of the best phone bankers there.

Kait: Juan (one of the field officers) called me a couple of weeks ago. He said, “I’m in Nevada. I need your help. Get on the phones with me.” So I phone banked for Nevada the day before they voted in a particular district. This is how I spent my Friday night.

HC: So I noticed you write for journals. I pulled out some quotes from one of your articles for the Political Science Department board.

Kait: Oh cool! I’ve written for a couple of different things over the years. For one of my jobs, I do their social media and write articles for their college website. I’ve also worked with some of the on campus offices for some articles. Lastly, I was interviewed for an academic journal through Dr. Collens.

HC: So for more of the typical questions, what is your best memory at Siena?

Kait: Best memory? I have had so many great memories, but overall I have had amazing friends who make my life feel fulfilled. I can’t really think of an individual memory that is fun to share. I tend to spend a lot of time talking and hanging out with my friends when I am not working or doing homework.

HC: Where is your favorite place to go?

Kait: My favorite place to go is somewhere I’ve never been. I love travelling; travelling is my favorite thing to do. If I had more money, I would take weekend trips to different parts of the country. Philadelphia is next and I want to go back to Pittsburgh and to Chicago. I also want to go everywhere in the world. Nepal, Tibet, Brazil, and South Africa are some of the places on my short list.

HC: What is your favorite food?

Kait: Something that I never had before. I’m vegan and I love trying new foods. One of the coolest foods I have eaten is a BBQ jackfruit sandwich. It was the perfect combination of citrus and barbeque.

HC: What is your advice to fellow students since you are graduating this semester?

Kait: I mean, don’t wish your time here away. You probably will anyway because you’ll get anxious to do whatever is next in your life, but you don’t need to since it flies by. My roommate and I are best friends, her name is Julia. We both went to our own homes over break, she lives on Rhode Island and I live in Rochester, NY. We were both home and halfway through just the Easter weekend we both realized this was probably the last time we will be living together or even living in the same state, and that was really sad.  

So if you’re a freshman, really embrace these last couple of weeks at school. That’s your best year. Embrace all of the silly things you are doing and all of your free time. It dwindles every year.

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