Take 5 with Katherine Laws

Katherine Laws

Wake Forest Fellow in the Office of Personal and Career Development (’20)

1. How do you define success for yourself? What has helped you to be successful?

To me, success is living a faithful life that, one tiny step at a time, heals broken things in the world. Right now, for me this looks like helping others as well as I can, letting the bigger picture define my attitude, and giving others my full attention.

Relying on my faith and loved ones, and not on myself, is an essential for me to succeed.

2. Think of a time that you faced a challenge, obstacle, or roadblock. How did you get through that and what did you learn?

Starting my first job (and, additionally, starting said job in the midst of the pandemic) is a challenge in itself! Specifically, it is so difficult to learn how to balance it all– work, a community and social life, feeding yourself, budgeting, saving, taking care of your home, and still being a good friend! The best thing I did was to take it one step at a time. No one– despite what you might see on their Instagram feed– will be cooking gourmet and healthy meals, enjoying a vibrant social life, decorating like a pro and organizing like Marie Kondo, on their first day of their new job in the house they just paid the first month’s rent and deposit for. Take it a step at a time, and prioritize. The things that are less essential can be slowly improved upon throughout your first year out.

3. Who are your people (either by name or role) who help you to be successful/confident/intentional/reflective/any other descriptor you want to use? And how have they helped you?

My family members, friends, and empowering colleagues and mentors remind me of what I am capable of on days of self-doubt. Having a strong community outside of work– my friends, roommates, church, brother, parents– has been essential for me to be my best self at work!

4. How did you find your people?

I think that being thoughtful about choosing who you surround yourself with is important. For example, I took time to find roommates who I knew would be a good community for me this year. Look for your people intentionally at places that make sense. For me, that was a local church and through Wake because I knew I would have a lot in common with those people.

5. What advice would you give to Wake Forest students as they look for their people?

In the same vein of thoughtfulness, you also need to be patient and thoughtful as you cultivate those relationships. Thoughtfully commit to getting to know people you like. Relationships move slower outside of college, so don’t be discouraged!

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Creating a life and career you like is a SLOW process of self-discovery and carefully tweaking things as you learn what you like and don’t like. You’ll be figuring this out for years. So, don’t expect to have it all figured out for a while– AND know that it is actually really FUN to discover what opportunities and people await you.