Katherine Gemmingen '20 & Caden Owens '20
Katherine Gemmingen '20
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Political Science major with a minor in Professional Writing and Rhetoric from Belleville, IL
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Honors Program
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Member of Pi Gamma Mu, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Societies
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Head Copyeditor of The McKendree Review
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Model UN
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Attended Voter Engagement Summit and Renewing Illinois Summit
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Named to Dean’s List and President’s List
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All-In Democracy Committee
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Named Outstanding Student in Political Science at Honors Convocation 2020
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Writing Center tutor
Caden Owens '20
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Political Science major from Salem, Illinois
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Honors Program
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Debate All-American
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Model UN Secretary General
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Attended Voter Engagement Summit and Renewing Illinois Summit
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Social Responsibility Committee, Civic Engagement Committee, All-In Democracy Committee
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Member of Pi Sigma Alpha and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Societies
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Track and Field
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Named to Dean’s List and President’s List
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Campus Election Engagement Project Fellowship
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Resident Assistant
By Stephanie (Coartney) Dulaney '10
Their paths to Political Science couldn’t be more different, but for seniors Katherine Gemmingen ’20 and Caden Owens ’20, the experiences they gained at McKendree set them on the same path to success in
law school and beyond.
As first-year students, Katherine and Caden were in the Honors Program together, but
that was the extent of their shared backgrounds. Katherine was drawn to Political
Science from an early age, fascinated by the impact government has on people’s daily
lives.
"I actually was involved with McKendree’s Model UN before I was even a student here. In junior high, I participated at local conferences, and then I came to McKendree’s Model UN conference my senior year of high school," said Katherine.
After her first time on campus, she was hooked. Since then, she has played a major
role in organizing the event that first drew her, chairing and co-chairing nearly
all of the high school Model UN conferences that McKendree has hosted over the last
four years. Each semester, these conferences bring 15 local high schools and more
than 300 Model UN students to campus.
While Katherine knew she wanted to major in Political Science and participate in Model
UN at McKendree, Caden’s journey took a different route. “Originally I came to McKendree
as a BioPsychology major with intentions of going to medical school,” he said.
"When I took my first Political Science class with Dr. Ann Collins, I decided I no longer wanted to pursue medicine. What I saw in Political Science was the ability to help people on a broader scale. We all rely on the government in some form or another. So I decided to shift away from individual support found in medicine to large-scale support that I could do working in a governmental setting," said Caden.
Unlike Katherine, Caden also had never participated in Model UN before coming to McKendree.
Instead, he was invited to volunteer at the conference halfway through his freshman
year. “I watched high school delegates discuss contemporary world problems and attempt
to find solutions that their representative country would pursue,” he said. “To me,
this seemed like a good way to incorporate global research and promote understanding
of different cultures, so I continued with it.” He and Katherine both participated
in several collegiate Model UN conferences in Chicago and St. Louis. During Caden’s
first conference as a delegate, he represented the small African nation of Cote D'Ivoire.
“It was actually really interesting because a delegate sitting next to me was from
Cote D'Ivoire!” he said. “I think this helped expand my understanding of different
cultures and how they see problems in the world.”
In addition to Model UN, Caden and Katherine’s interest in politics also gave them
the unique opportunity to represent McKendree at two regional events, the Voter Engagement
Summit at Washington University in St. Louis and the Renewing Illinois Summit at SIU
Carbondale. At the Voter Engagement Summit, college faculty, students, and administrators
from across Missouri and Illinois gathered to discuss differences in voting across
states and strategies for increasing participation and voting access. The conference
gave Katherine new ideas for growing voter engagement on college campuses like McKendree,
and it helped Caden develop his thesis on Shelby County v. Holder and its effect on
the Voter Rights Act.
The Renewing Illinois Summit was the first of its kind held in the state, designed
to bring Political Science students together with policymakers to make recommendations
for solutions on issues affecting Illinois government. “It felt like the concerns
of Illinois young adults were being heard for the first time,” Caden said. “I think
holding events like these allow more participation and broaden the idea that we as
individuals can have everlasting change on our governments by using our voice.”
On campus, Katherine and Caden used their Political Science passion in different ways.
Katherine says her role as head copywriter for the student newspaper The McKendree Review has given her the chance to bring more social justice issues into focus. “I have
tried to use the platform to bring awareness to issues, and I think I’ve also brought
some academic diversity to the staff,” she said. “I hope that my major can show other
people that you can be involved with the Review even if you don’t have a ‘traditional’ major for writing.”
Caden’s participation the Debate Team has also allowed him to use his knowledge of
government functions and individual politicians to formulate arguments in competitions.
He says his experiences with debate have helped him research all sides of an argument
and have more empathy for those with opposing views.
After graduation, Katherine will be attending the University of Pittsburgh School
of Law on a full tuition scholarship and is considering practicing law in civil rights,
constitutional, health, or civil law. Caden has a job lined up working for Senator
Tammy Duckworth and attending Saint Louis University School of Law, with the goal
of one day running for a political office. No matter how they use their degree, Caden
and Katherine are grateful for the unique opportunities McKendree gave them to make
their college experience truly their own.
Learn more about opportunities at McKendree University.
Make It McKendree