Kathryn Record ’17

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2017

Best Buddies, International Outreach, Service Trip Participant, and Core Team Leader

What involvement did/do you have with MOVE? What program did/do you volunteer with and/or lead? What years?
Volunteer for Best Buddies 2013-2017
Volunteer Trip – summer 2014 to Utah
Volunteer for International Outreach 2013-2017
IO Core Team Leader 2015-2017

What’s your MOVE story?
I started with MOVE even before I began my time at SMC, at the pre-orientation weekend trip the summer before classes began. I met CORE team leaders who showed me all that MOVE had to offer, and I knew I’d volunteer as soon as I could. I began volunteering for Best Buddies, and was also chosen as a mentor for International Outreach within the first month or two of my time at SMC. Halfway through my sophomore year, I was also chosen to be a new CORE Team Leader for IO, and remained in that position until I graduated.

In what ways did/does MOVE impact you?
MOVE was one of the greatest gifts of my time at SMC. I learned so much about myself and who I am as a leader, a mentor, and a friend. I met incredible people who inspired me daily to be a better part of a sometimes dark world. The kids I mentored were the sweetest of all time, and through building relationships with them I also built on a foundation for a lifelong passion of helping children. My time with Best Buddies also showed me that I am passionate about working with people of all abilities, which helped solidify my choice to become an occupational therapist.

If you are an alumni, what influence does MOVE continue to have on your life today?
I am now working as a pediatric occupational therapist, a career that was directly shaped by my time with MOVE. I always wanted to work with children and be an OT, but my time as a mentor and as a Best Buddy helped solidify that passion for me. I am a better person, leader, and friend because of my time in MOVE, and am so grateful everyday that I got involved in the way that I did.