CBSelfie with Kate Minke

March 30, 2016
This CBS undergrad explores leadership across international boundaries.

Kate Minke


Your name: Kate Minke

Your year: Junior

Your major: Biology (Minors in Neuroscience, Behavioral Biology and Public Health)


You went to Malawi through the Global Undergraduate Leadership Program. What is biggest takeaway you had from that experience?
My biggest takeaway from the experience were all the wonderful people that I met during my time there and their impact on me. It was an incredible experience to meet our ANU counterparts in person after having spent so much time working together via video conferencing to prepare for our trip. The people of Malawi were also extraordinary and are some of the most generous warm-hearted people I have ever met.

What intrigued you to apply for the GULP program and go to Malawi?
I had always been interested in the idea of global citizenship being first exposed to the concept in high school. Being a Dean’s Scholar, I was always looking for new ways to grow as a leader, and GULP seemed like the next natural step in my leadership development. I was really intrigued by the idea of spending a year learning about leadership in a global context and then being able to go abroad and apply those lessons in Malawi.

How can you apply what you learned from your time there to now?
One of the most important lessons that I learned was that everyone has diverse perspectives in life due to their experiences. It is important to be open-minded and listen to those perspectives because they make your view of life richer.

What are your future career aspirations? Why do you want to pursue that career?
I am currently in the process of applying to a masters of public health program where I want to focus on maternal child epidemiology. Ultimately I want to become a pediatrician working in general practice, focusing on both the individual and community needs of patients. I hope to study different illness in the community and implement effective programs based on research I conduct.

If you offered one piece of advice to your first-year self in CBS, what would that be?
Be compassionate with yourself so you can figure out what you are really interested about in your life. Take time for get outside of your comfort zone and take classes that sound interesting to you. You might find that you are passionate about something you never realized, like I did when I took a public health class!