Kat Klett without bees
In President Kaler's State of the University address on March 6th, he called on only one student for special recognition: Katrina (Kat) Klett--an Asian Languages & Literatures major, focusing in Chinese, with a minor in Sustainability Studies (administered by University's Institute on the Environment). Kat is known for her bees and her Chinese. She grew up in a family that specializes in breeding queen bees for US beekeepers. Chinese came later, after she arrived at the university. Kat loved language study, so why not Chinese? These two skills serve her well in her on-going work with farmers and migratory beekeepers in Yunnan Province, China, where biodiversity has made for a strong apicultural (aka. beekeeping) environment.
Kat Klett with bees
Kat plans on changing the world: she is committed to modifying modern agricultural practices to promote biodiversity at home and abroad. And she is well on her way. She is already the recipient of two prestigious national undergraduate awards: the Harry S. Truman Scholarship and the Udall Scholarship. And she was also a winner, placing 2nd, in the U.S. Midwest University Level Chinese Bridge Speech Contest held in spring 2013. The next stage of her work will include graduate studies in Public Affairs and a return to Asia and Africa to continue working with rural populations and bees.
