Now a senior at Greenwich High School, Catherine wants to become a physical therapist or an occupational therapist and teach others her same 'can-do'; attitude. For her, it doesn't matter if your case is as simple as a broken leg or as serious as epilepsy, you are not disabled.
For the past two summers, Catherine has worked at ARC Association for the Mentally Disabled. She was assigned to Nate, a boy with down syndrome. "He was slower than other kids mentally, and spoke in incomplete sentences. The first summer I worked with him, he wouldn't interact with me or other kids. By my second summer, he was more loving, wanting to sit on my lap and hold my hand." I think that Catherine will help Nate to discover that he has a champion that lives inside of him.
"Kate Morris," a senior at Greenwich High School, "will probably be the first woman President of the United States," this, according to her good friend and co-cheerleader, Catherine Wechsler. She's proven herself to be a true leader, ready to fight for all kids getting a good education. This Vice President of her Senior class is already on the move and making a difference for kids.
"Kids shouldn't be having school in a closet or a bathroom. We are really lucky to go to a school like Greenwich High School. Other kids around the world are not as fortunate as we are," she told me in an interview recently. As a camper and a counselor at the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, Kate recognized that kids are not equally fortunate. It was at the Boys and Girls Club that Kate decided that she wanted to help underprivileged kids as her mission in life.
Appointed Youth of the Year by the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich in 1998, Kate was also chosen to represent the Boys and Girls Club, and went to the Connecticut State Legislature to fight for funding for the organization. The only non-profit youth organization that was included in the state budget, Kate got $3.3 million, the highest amount awarded to a lobbying group. She was also selected to be a part of a Presidential Classroom in March of 1999, and spent one week at the Capitol and the White House discussing various issues with teens across the United States. Asked to represent the Boys and Girls Club and organize the national conference for the Keystone Club in California, Kate was one of thousands of teenagers that attended and discussed issues important to teens such as abortion, divorce, how the media affects teen suicide, eating disorders, building stronger communities and college issues.
We hope to see and hear more about Kate fighting for the rights of education for all kids and that one day she will become the first woman President.
