During the past four years, Katie Wilford has taught high school mathematics at Pocahontas Area and has extensively volunteered her time at various community activities. She's volunteered regularly at the Rialto Theatre and joined the Pocahontas Hometown Pride group, just to name a few. Katie also served as the initial facility adviser of the Pocahontas Interact Club. This group has provided service to more than 85 individuals, agencies, organizations, and communities by volunteering over 3,000 hours in the past three years. Katie was recognized by Governor Kim Reynolds last summer by receiving the the Governor's Volunteer Award. This past spring, the Interact Club and Katie were awarded the Rotary Presidential Citation and the 2018 Trees Forever Outstanding Youth Volunteer/Group Award.
Rotary Global Scholar grants fund graduate-level coursework or research for an academic year. A key feature of global grants is the partnership between the district or club in the study location (host sponsor) and the district or club in the scholar’s home country (international sponsor). Through a competitive process, Katie was selected for this prestigious award and she chose to pursue her Master of Education with a specialization in Mathematics at the University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia.
Katie has demonstrated her sense of adventure by completing her UNI student teaching in the country of Panama. As part of her college experience, she also studied at La Universidad de Oviedo in Oviedo, Spain. She has traveled extensively, visiting 15 countries in Europe, Central, and South America.
Upon the completion of the scholarship period, Katie plans on returning to teach high school. However, while she is at Melbourne, many opportunities may arise so Katie will keep her options open as to where she may go. She would truly enjoy returning to Iowa to be with her family, but if she is offered a position in another country or another state, she will take the position if it is a match for her life goals.
Furthermore, someday Katie plans on visiting various Third World countries to educate men and women to assist them in making decisions toward their educational goals. There are millions of adults without access to basic education who could benefit from someone as dedicated as herself to show them educational alternatives. The importance of learning and having an education in today’s world is powerful and Katie wants to make a difference in the life of another person, even if it is simply teaching him/her how to read or to add two numbers. The possibilities are endless once a dream is able to come true.
