For Katherine Lew, Special Olympics Minnesota Unified programming is the perfect blend of two of her greatest passions: sports and inclusion. She served as President of the SOMN College Board of Directors in 2023-24, works five part-time jobs, participates in multiple campus activities and plans to graduate from St. Catherine University with a major in exercise and sports science. Despite her busy schedule, Katherine has made it a top priority to keep Special Olympics Minnesota and Unified in her life.
Katherine founded the Special Olympics Club at St. Kate’s as a freshman. “The purpose of the Special Olympics Club at St. Kate’s is to connect college students with and without intellectual disabilities through sports. We build friendships and help lead the social movement of Special Olympics in our college community,” Katherine explains. The club also collaborates with student athletes at St. Kate’s to further existing relationships with Special Olympics Minnesota, providing an opportunity to promote the school’s goal of inclusion for all students.
As the President of the St. Kate’s Special Olympics Club, Katherine facilitates 12-15 meetings per school year and works to expand a list of exciting activities and partnerships. For example, St. Kate’s partners with St. Paul-based transition program Focus Beyond. Together, the two programs host and attend 8-10 events per school year both on campus and at local community centers. “At these events, Unified partners and athletes collaborate on a variety of activities, including weight-lifting, oula, dance, basketball, obstacle courses and more,” Katherine says.
The Special Olympics Club has become an integral part of the St. Kate’s community, and Katherine has seen how the club has impacted the culture of the school. “Our student leadership team has worked tirelessly to implement and educate the university’s students and community about kindness and inclusion of all people,” Katherine says. “We have made significant strides towards creating a more inclusive environment for everyone. Attendance at our Unified Sports events continues to grow each semester, and more people learn about our club and commit to the Inclusion Revolution.”
Katherine leads this movement at St. Kate’s and beyond, working diligently to sustain the three components of a Unified Champion School at St. Kate’s: Unified Sports, Whole School Engagement, and Inclusive Student Leadership. Katherine pulls from her experiences both inside and outside of the classroom to continue educating herself and her classmates about inclusion . Being on the SOMN College Board of Directors has also helped Katherine continue to grow the Unified movement at St. Kate’s. “The Board focuses on inclusion, education, leadership, social justice, advocacy, and so much more. Through the board, we have been able to learn about what inclusion looks like, how to implement it in schools, and how to build and strengthen relationships between all our Unified partners and athletes,” Katherine says.
As a college senior, Katherine is planning for life beyond school. “After graduation, I plan to obtain my master’s in occupational therapy,” Katherine says. “I hope to stay involved in SOMN through my position as an event liaison, as well as being an active volunteer and maybe even a coach someday!” For Katherine, Unified started as an activity in her freshman year of high school, but it became a lifelong passion that has guided her the past seven years. “One of my closest friends in middle school had a disability and we tried the Unified program out together when we transitioned to high school,” Katherine says. “From then on, I wanted to be involved in every practice and event.”
Katherine’s devotion to inclusion is unparalleled. Beyond her work with Special Olympics Minnesota and Unified, Katherine is engaged in numerous inclusion-based roles, including:
- Marketing Chair for the St. Catherine’s Disability Identity Group
- Accommodations Assistant in the St. Catherine’s Student Accessibility and Accommodations Office
- Disability Ministries Director at Freshwater Church
- Certified PCA through the state of Minnesota.
Katherine describes inclusion as a mindset, and she has demonstrated that she lives this principle time and time again, from leading the Unified movement in her community to taking the Polar Plunge.
“Inclusion may start with the conscious effort to seek out differences in thoughts and experiences,” Katherine says, “but it becomes the unconscious desire to want to learn from others and grow your social bubble to include people from all walks of life.”