Minutes with a Marvel: Katie Van Horne
“I thrive in understanding people, the realities of their lives, and what that means for designing and scaling educational innovations.” --Katie Van Horne
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My senior year of college, I lived with three incredible women. I’ve featured two on L&L before (Laurie and Emily), and while those gals and I were working our way toward degrees in various fields of communication, the fourth bright light was toiling away in the science buildings on campus. I’m not sure any of us could tell you exactly what Katie Van Horne was studying, but we knew her brain capacity probably exceeded ours combined.
After a long educational road, studying human development and genetics, Katie earned her Ph.D in learning sciences, worked as a researcher and research professor focusing on curriculum development for Next Generation Science Standards, and collaborated with districts and states across the country.
Today, KVH lives and works in Boulder, Colorado, where she is starting her own research and development company, which will be affiliated with an education research-focused company and a design-focused company.
“I’m excited to be working for myself while having access to community and collaboration with awesome people,” she said.
Though she landed in Boulder for a postdoc position, she’s built a life in the mountains, where the fresh air serves as medicine and motivation to keep up an extremely active lifestyle. Her nextdoor neighbor became an instant skiing partner and eventual husband, and her current neighbors serve as stand-in family.
“We share dinners, backyard happy hours, dog walking. We travel together, we cry together, and we dance together,” Katie said.
KVH has been inspiring me to stretch my brain since we sat side-by-side sipping coffee on our Tuesday and Thursday mornings our senior year of college, and if you spend five minutes with her, she’ll do the same for you, too.
MINUTES with a MARVEL
Where do you get your energy/what motivates you?
“I am empathetic and curious. I get energy from exploring how things and how people work. I am also a helper and I get energy from making other people's lives easier, happier, and more fun. Finally, I'm an athlete at heart and I need to move to feel energized. I do CrossFit and hike. And try to play new sports like mountain biking and ultimate frisbee.”
What women inspire you?
“Right now, women who share their accomplishments and suffering with others and build community and space for others to feel connected. I love this interview with Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach about courage in everyday life.”
Pie-in-the-sky dream or ambition?
“To ski in Japan. To do research in education and learning that impacts the lives of real kids. And to appreciate the little moments in the day-to-day.”
Go-to recipe?
“Roast Veggie Tacos and Buffalo Chicken in the Slow Cooker.”
BOTH will be featured on L&L in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
ALSO, GREEN ENCHILADAS!
A little something extra from KVH regarding the importance of neighbors:
BORROWING FROM NEIGHBORS STRENGTHENS DEMOCRACY
