8 minute read
Alumnae Q&A Eileen Gu ’17 and Katie Hultquist ’88
Eileen Gu ’17
Eileen Gu ’17 is likely the youngest alumna we have ever profiled in Burke’s Magazine, but this is the time to learn her name — if you don’t already know it. While studying at Burke’s, Eileen won nine USASA age division and open class national contests in Colorado between April 2013 and April 2018. She just finished competing at a World Cup in Calgary in February, where she became the first freeskier in history (all ages, men/women) to win two different World Cup events at the same venue. The awards were her second Slopestyle World Cup gold medal and her first Halfpipe World Cup win. In January, Eileen won three medals (two golds and a silver) at the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has been recognized by InStyle magazine as the youngest recipient of the Women of Times award.
An extraordinary talent, she will graduate from University High School in June and spend the next 17 months training for the Beijing Olympics. In 2022, Eileen will compete for China in celebration of her heritage, though she is always quick to honor her American upbringing and express appreciation for all of her friends and experiences from training with US Ski & Snowboard. Excited about the once-ina-lifetime opportunity to promote the sport she loves in the country where her mom was born, Eileen says, “If I can help to inspire one young girl to break a boundary, my wishes will have come true.” A Burke’s girl through and through!
What three words or phrases come to mind when you hear “Katherine Delmar Burke School”?
Continued community, joyful learning, and courageous confidence.
After Burke’s, I continued to stay in touch with my classmates, many of whom I call my best friends to this day. The term “community” is used frequently at Burke’s; the idea of a school unified through some type of sisterhood is not new. However, it really is the long-lasting connection and trust truly resonates with me.
At the time, I really did take Burke’s teachers for granted. I assumed all teachers would be as passionate, educated, and motivated as the teachers that I had at Burke’s. The true desire that teachers had to better educate both Burke’s girls and themselves impresses me to this day.
Burke’s upholds consistent standards from the first day of kindergarten to the last day of eighth grade. Those years are truly that only nine years together can build that
transformational, and ones in which lifelong imprints can be made. From handmade cartoons displayed in the lunchroom to indepth discussions in the classroom, students will always be armed with strong morals and a multi-faceted understanding of themselves and the world around them.
What would you tell incoming kindergarten families about the journey ahead?
I would remind them that while nine years seems like a long time, it passes in a breeze. I hope that they can remember to stay present and ensure their kids have the best chance to enjoy it while it lasts.
What is your favorite memory from Burke’s?
There really are a lot, but the first one that comes to mind is the eighth-grade play. We worked so relentlessly on everything from the set and props to costumes and makeup, to our own acting and choreography, that the finished product felt so rewarding. Seeing everyone work together with a chemistry that only nine years together can create was magical. Our play was Mary Poppins. I was Mary, one of my best friends was Bert, and we really outdid ourselves that night.
How would you encourage Burke’s students and alumnae to give back to Burke’s?
I would encourage them to stay connected. I believe that while funding and other resources can be powerful, time and knowledge are ultimately much more valuable. Going back and speaking at an assembly, giving advice to a new student, or simply staying caught up with the KayDeeBee (now Burke’s Magazine!) are all great ways to keep in touch with our roots.
What Burke’s experiences do you attribute to your personal or professional success?
When I was nine years old, I was the only girl on my ski team. But having been told time and time again that everyone deserves equality and a fair chance, I entered unafraid, made some of my best friends, and ultimately became a professional athlete. In seventh grade, I gave my speech on gender equality in sports, which was later used as the voiceover for the new Adidas Women’s golf commercial. Burke’s taught me to never give up, to remain confident in my own abilities, and to make the change I wanted to see in the world.
If you had to do it all over again, your time at Burke’s and since, what might you do differently?
I would slow down and take it all in. Just like many seventh and eighth graders, my mind was on high school. Those last two years are the culmination of everything we’ve been through together, and they deserve to be cherished as much or more than the years before it. While things can get hectic, staying present is key.
Katie Hultquist ’88
Katie Hultquist ’88 has been living Burke’s mission since her own days on campus. Every alumna knows the “educate, encourage, and empower girls” part of our mission, but not everyone remembers the second sentence: “Our school combines academic excellence with an appreciation for childhood so that students thrive as learners, develop a strong sense of self, contribute to community, and fulfill their potential, now and throughout life.” As the West Coast director for OutRight Action International, a U.S.-based nonprofit advancing human rights for LGBTIQ people around the world, Katie has spent her 20+ year career contributing to her local, national, and international communities through nonprofit management, fundraising, and social justice activism. Previously, Katie served as the Northwest Regional Director at NPH USA, where she raised more than $11 million to support vulnerable children in Latin America and the Caribbean, and helped launch a training institute for young leaders from Central America. Building off her experience at Burke’s, Katie dedicated much of her early career to girls’ empowerment as the executive director of Passages Northwest, a Seattle nonprofit dedicated to building courage and leadership in girls through the outdoors and the arts, as a board member for the Northwest Girls Coalition, and as a member of the Grants Committee for Women’s Funding Alliance. Katie lives in Seattle with her wife and three children, but one of her greatest joys is keeping in touch with friends from the Burke’s Class of 1988 and seeing them often when she is in the Bay Area.
What three words or phrases come to mind when you hear “Katherine Delmar Burke School”?
“Nurturing and challenging environment,” “girls can do or be anything!” and “lifelong friendships.” I truly consider my Burke’s classmates to be my sisters, and growing up with them was an incredibly special gift of which I am often reminded. I remain in regular contact with several friends from Burke’s and love, respect, and admire them deeply. I know that if one of my classmates called on me for anything, I’d be quick to respond with encouragement or a helping hand – and that they would do the same for me.
What is your favorite memory from Burke’s?
It is so hard to pick one! A few happy memories are: our kindergarten or first-grade production of Peter Rabbit when I was Mrs. Rabbit, the pirate rap that Monique Rocca and I wrote for our production of Peter Pan (Rachel Skiffer was the best Captain Hook ever! And thank you to Ms. Whitsell!), dancing to “Lollipop” in 1950s costumes with Renée Sharp at the Burke’s Festival in fifth grade, and learning how to develop and print photographs in a real darkroom. I also have extremely fond memories of playing soccer, volleyball, field hockey, and tennis. We were so lucky to have such great facilities on campus, and I always believed we were athletes – something that stayed with me as a high school athlete and now as an avid fan of women’s professional soccer and basketball! Finally, I remember all of my teachers from kindergarten through eighth grade – they made indelible impressions and formed the basis of my academic habits and success all the way through graduate school. “I grew up with the firm belief that I could do anything, and so could every other girl I knew. I know that being at Burke’s nurtured this confidence and challenged me to go after my dreams. It’s what has powered me to do work in the nonprofit community that is focused on empowering girls and personally get involved with helping support women leaders and elect more women to public office!”
What is something you learned at Burke’s that you still carry with you today?
I credit Sra. Pera’s Spanish class from fifth through eighth grades with putting me on the path to becoming fluent in Spanish and eventually spending a good part of my academic and professional career in Latin America.
How would you encourage Burke’s students and fellow alumnae to give back to Burke’s?
I think Burke’s needs alumnae to stay involved and be active participants in the community, even or especially if we feel that we are in the minority in terms of cultural, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation/gender identity, family makeup, etc. As an alumna and now parent of children in independent schools, I can better recognize that Burke’s needs our diverse voices and leadership to thrive and grow in the 21st century. I think there is tremendous satisfaction in being able to help give back to the next generations of girls who need our support to be exactly who they are meant to and want to be.
If you had it to do all over again, your time at Burke’s and since, what might you do differently?
Something I’m very focused on right now is supporting the inclusion of girls of color and kids who identify as LGBTIQ in all aspects of society, schools, leadership, and democracy. We’ve made so much progress over the last generation, but we can do more to support them and ensure that their voices and experiences are centered in all our institutions, including Burke’s!
In addition, my own interests and career have focused increasingly on human rights and development globally, and I see the need for expanded education about what’s happening around the world, awareness about our interconnectedness, and commitment to make our efforts for justice and equality truly global.
