Tag: #Classof1998

KPBSD Inspiration, Katie Koester, Homer High School #ClassOf1998

KPBSD Inspiration, Katie Koester, Homer High School Class of 1998
Katie Koester, Homer city manager

“There are people in our lives who will believe in us more than we believe in ourselves. By listening to their words and trusting their encouragement, we can be pushed out of our comfort zone to accomplish more than we ever thought possible.”

–Katie Koester, Homer City Manager

“Many of the people who have influenced me live in Homer,” said Katie Koester, Homer High School Class of 1998. “When I was a kid, my junior high P.E. teacher and volleyball coach Deb Lowney gave me the gift of self-confidence. Coach Lowney was the first person who believed I could overcome my shyness to become a competitive athlete in junior high all the way through college.”Katie rowing-2
Koester, now city manager in her hometown, attended McNeil Canyon Elementary, Homer Middle School (in the 1990s it was Homer Junior High), and graduated from Homer High School. Her post high school studies took her to Massachusetts where she majored in Government and Latin American Studies at Smith College, and then to Chile where she earned her master’s degree in political science at the Pontific Catholic University of Chile as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. She is currently completing a Master of Public Administration at the University of Alaska Southeast.
KAtie Koester at 15
Katie said the person who cheered her on in her professional corner was Homer’s former Mayor Beth Wythe—also a Homer High Graduate! She explains, “I was working as Homer’s Community and Economic Development Coordinator when Mayor Wythe encouraged me to apply for the City Manager position. She believed in me. It is remarkable to think that April 2019 marks four years serving as Homer’s City Manager.”

“I was born and raised in Homer and did not see myself as a leader. It took others believing in me that got me here. When we continue to raise each other up, we all get to enjoy the beautiful views.”

 

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“Some people assume my position is more powerful and influential than it really is. In local government, power lies within its people and the neighbors and friends you elect to serve on city council. As city manager, my job is based on a lot of hard work and relationship building. There is no “magic” needed to be a city manager, but the position does require dedication and connecting the dots within our community. I was born and raised in Homer and did not see myself as a leader. It took others believing in me that got me here. When we continue to raise each other up, we all get to enjoy the beautiful views.”

What does this City Manager celebrate?

“I celebrate the people of Homer–the families who have made it here for generations along with the new families who come to the end of the road, fall in love with this place, and figure out how to make it in this town. This community’s underlying determination to live and persist in Homer means people here are interesting, creative, and diverse. I celebrate the people of Homer because they are problem solvers, because they make Homer the place for their life’s work.

Katie Koester Homer City Manager p-2Best hangout spot

“Hands down Bishop’s Beach is my favorite spot! In high school my best friend Krista and I played Spice Girls in the parking lot and danced to,“tell me what’chu want what’chu you really, really want.” Bishop’s Beach is a wonderful spot to meet up with friends, go for walks, and crank some tunes—Spice Girls or not.”
I was appointed city manager under Mayor Wythe who had an open for business theme for Homer. I work really hard to continue this vision because I want Homer to be a town with family-sustaining jobs—jobs where someone can raise their family while also being professionally satisfied. Families thrive when our local businesses thrive.”

Links

Do you have a story tip about a KPBSD graduate to profile in our Wednesday Inspiration? Kindly email Pegge Erkeneff, KPBSD communications liaison, Pegge@KPBSD.org.
City Manager Profile

KPBSD Inspiration: Kersten Gomez, Soldotna High School #ClassOf1998

KPBSD Inspiration, Kersten (Petersen) Gomez, Soldotna High School Class of 1998
Kersten Petersen Gomez Soldotna High 1998

“I was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD) as a child, struggled with academics, and was bullied. This took a toll on my self-esteem. I was afraid to put myself out there and try anything new out of a fear of failing and being ridiculed.”

–Mrs. Alaska America 2017, Kersten Gomez, Soldotna High School Class of 1998, and Kenai Peninsula Borough School District elementary educator

 
This week’s KPBSD 1998 graduate inspiration is now an educator in the school district! Kersten (Petersen) Gomez says, “When I was young, after school I would line up all my stuffed animals and teach them what I learned at school that day. I knew I wanted to do something with children even then, but it was not until I watched my mom receive a rose from one of her students at graduation that I knew I would follow in her footsteps and become an educator. I remember the boy telling her that he would not have made it through school without her unwavering support—I wanted to make a difference like she had.”
 
Now in her thirteenth year of teaching in KPBSD, Mrs. Gomez is a second grade teacher at Redoubt Elementary. She graduated from University of Alaska, Anchorage, and Kenai Peninsula College, and began her teaching career at Nikiski North Star Elementary with kindergarten and second and third graders for four years, before moving to Redoubt Elementary.
 

“My favorite moment of every day is when I stand in the door to greet my kids when they walk in. Their excitement and smiles are contagious, and no matter what kind of day I am having I feel blessed to have the opportunity to spend each and every day with them!”

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Married to Terry Gomez, also a KPBSD Soldotna High School Class of 1998 graduate, she knows the effects bullying took on her self-confidence and feelings of self-worth. As a result, she says, “It is important for me to teach empathy and kindness to the next generation of leaders. It is sad to me to see the way adults in our country treat one another. With each class, hopefully I am making a difference that will impact the future.”

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Kersten Gomez (3)

A big dream for Mrs. Alaska America 2017

Attending Soldotna Middle School and graduating from Soldotna High School in 1998, Gomez explains, “It took me until the age of 37 to follow my dream and participate in the Mrs. Alaska America 2017 pageant. I was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD) as a child, struggled with academics, and was bullied. This took a toll on my self-esteem. I was afraid to put myself out there and try anything new out of a fear of failing and being ridiculed. When I won I was shocked, but the experience reminded me that my self-worth is not determined by what others think of me. In the year as Mrs. Alaska America 2017, I volunteered, spoke publically and shared my story, and competed against women from every state across the country at Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the most incredible experience I have had and through my year of service, I grew so much as a person and in my self-confidence. If I let fear control my decision making, I never would have had the opportunity to make an impact on the state of Alaska.”

To grow in confidence, volunteer

I have volunteered at the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, Boys and Girls Club of America, the Soldotna Kids public library, and helped collect literature throughout Alaska that is now on its way to the worn torn country of Liberia to build libraries in schools there!
Kersten Gomez (1)-3

“I tell kids all the time,

‘Don’t let fear hold you back from what you want to do in life. You can accomplish so much more than you think you can!’”

 

Links

Do you have a story tip about a KPBSD graduate to profile in our Wednesday Inspiration? Kindly email Pegge Erkeneff, KPBSD communications liaison, Pegge@KPBSD.org.
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Kersten Gomez (2)-2
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