Katy attended Whitman College and was a student employee of the Whitman College and Northwest Archives. She was raised in a small community in western Washington that she loved very much, and felt incredibly lucky to have found another town that she loved just as much in Walla Walla. She listened because she believed in the power of storytelling and story preservation in developing strong relationships and communities. 

Outside of the Listener’s project, one of Katy’s favorite things to do is to meet new people and hear their stories. Back home she was in the rare position of loving her retail job at a local store because she got to hear stories from so many people every day. She also loved to swim, cook, and garden, and she missed her cats and dogs constantly. Katy hoped to become a community archivist so she can spend her career working to honor and preserve the stories that so often go unheard.