Katie Marquette chosen as 2010 Student Commencement Speaker

Katherine (Katie) Alice Marquette was recently named the 2010 Student Commencement Speaker. She will address the Class of 2010 at the Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 2 at 3 p.m. at the George M. Sullivan Arena.


Katie grew up in Fairbanks and graduated from Austin E. Lathrop High School in 2006. Throughout her youth, Katie devoted much of her time to ballet lessons, softball games and cross-country skiing.

Graduating cum laude with UAA Leadership Honors, Katie will receive a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with an emphasis in Community and Change. While attending UAA, she has had the opportunity to expand her academic interests through many rewarding experiences.

In October 2009 Katie was one of 55 international students to receive funding from the National Science Foundation to attend the BOREAS Final Conference in Rovaniemi, Finland. There she met with scholars to discuss the settlement patterns of Arctic communities around the world. In the spring of 2009, Katie was awarded the Policy Research Internship at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) where she conducted a study on the availability of same-sex domestic partner benefits in Alaska's private sector. Katie is also the recipient of a Research in the Community Grant from the UAA Office of Undergraduate Research to continue her project at ISER, focusing on the inclusion of sexual orientation protections in Alaska's private sector. In April of 2010 Katie was awarded the UAA Office of Undergraduate Research Discovery Grant and the USUAA Student Travel Grant to present her research at the Pacific Sociological Association Undergraduate Poster Session in Oakland, California.


In addition to her academic achievements, Katie has worked at the UAA Career Services Center since September 2007. Being engaged in the campus community has been extremely rewarding, and Katie extends many thanks to the faculty and staff who have supported her while attending UAA. 
Upon graduating, Katie will begin working with a team of professionals to help manage a state gubernatorial campaign, and hopes to one day attend law school. Katie dedicates her achievements to her mother and grandmother, who have inspired her to become a strong young woman and active member of her community.