Kate Shugart

As a girl Kate Shugart knew she wanted her college years to be spent at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. After all, it was where her extended family lived and both her parents were UNC alumni. When her father accepted a new position in central Florida the year she turned 14, Kate was convinced more than ever that UNC was the only school for her.

When the time came to begin the college application process, Kate’s father told her she could not attend an out-of-state school until she toured at least one facility within the State University System of Florida. After much consideration of her choices, Kate decided on Florida State University. Arriving in Tallahassee, she was pleasantly surprised to discover our terrain does not resemble that of central and south Florida. After completing the preview process here at FSU, she knew where she wanted to go and the only college application she submitted was for FSU. Kate happily admits that it was the campus tour that tipped the scales for our great institution and in fact she enjoyed the event so much she became a University Ambassador in her freshman year.

Once she completed her university experience (she graduated Cum Laude with a double major in English Literature and Spanish) Kate began looking for a way to use her new knowledge to make a difference in the world. Working through her church, she teamed up with the organization Pescadores de Hombres and spent a semester in a small rural town in southern Mexico, teaching English to elementary school students. Working with the children and seeing them blossom with excitement as they began their educational journey was a true joy for Kate and one she hopes to repeat.

For now Kate is working full-time as the University Business Administrator for the FSU Police Department and studying part-time for her master’s degree in Linguistics. She is also a volunteer tutor, assisting FSU students for whom English is a second language and working with the Literacy Volunteers of Leon County. Once she graduates she is hoping to once again travel to a third-world country and be a part of promoting literacy and education.

Kate’s enthusiasm and hard work make her a great FSU employee. Her drive to make a change in the world is what makes her a great all-around person.

Photo taken in Oaxaca, Mexico where Kate taught

Kate with a few of her students