In just seven years since her Nebraska Wesleyan graduation, Kate Bolz has worked to build economic justice in multiple places and ways. Her membership in Wesleyan’s Global Service Learning program sparked her interest in social issues, and gave her a medium through which to interact with diverse groups, communities, and people.

In 2001, Bolz accepted the prestigious Emerson National Hunger Fellowship, a year-long assignment awarded to 24 individuals annually. Participants serve six months in US community-based organizations that fight hunger at the local level, then transition for the rest of the year to Washington, DC, to gain national experience in the anti-hunger and anti-poverty movement.

Upon completing this fellowship, Bolz moved to Lutheran Services of America as a legislative assistant, gaining experience in tracking, monitoring, and analyzing Federal legislation on issues including child welfare, housing, and welfare reform.

In 2004, Bolz returned to Nebraska as a Special Interests Volunteer for the Nebraska Appleseed Center. There she managed Reality at the Roots, a statewide photography advocacy project focused on social justice in Nebraska. The following year, she worked as an Intern Organizer for Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES) while also earning a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Michigan. There, she was selected as commencement speaker for the School of Social Work in 2005.

Bolz returned to the Emerson National Hunger Fellows Program in 2006 as Interim Associate Director. There she supervised, mentored and recruited Fellows for the same program that she entered immediately following her Wesleyan graduation. Presently, Bolz is employed with Nebraska Appleseed as a Community Educator in the Low-Income Self Sufficiency Program. In this capacity she works to educate clients, community members, and policy makers about systemic solutions to low-income issues.

A Lincoln resident, Bolz credits her family’s support, as well as her strong educational background in communication, sociology, and Social Work for her success.