Hometown: Houston, Texas

Bio: Kat is an accelerated M.A. candidate in the Latin American Studies program at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Wake Forest University Class of 2022 with Honors in Politics/International Affairs and Spanish, and a minor in Latin American Studies. She was named the Exemplary Student in Latin American Studies for the Class of 2022. She focuses her studies on the relations between organized crime and governmental institutions, and wrote her senior thesis on Mexico’s status as a ‘failed state,’ using a four-part thesis to analyze the country’s political status. Throughout her junior and senior years, Kat served as a research assistant to Dr. Andrea Gomez Cervantes of Wake Forest University, assisting in studies of gendered political violence against female political candidates in the recent election. Kat also independently researched with Dr. Linda Howe on a thesis regarding how the politics and history of Cuba contribute to expressions of identity, particularly in the oppression and expression of Black women. In Summer 2022, Kat interned in Santiago, Chile with Athena Lab, a Think Tank dedicated to international relations, security, and defense. In her free time, Kat enjoys spending time with her dog Julius Caesar and reading true crime.

Concentration: Governance and Leadership

Research Area – Substantive: Human Rights Abuses, Violence, Corruption, Transitional Justice, Organized Crime

Research Area – Geographic: Latin America, specifically US/Mexico, Colombia, Chile, the Northern Triangle