Katherine Leahey ’21 awarded Rotary Global Grant Scholarship

Lincoln Scholar Katherine Leahey ’21 has recently won the Rotary Global Grant Scholarship for Rotary group District 6710. The approximately $50,000 Global Grant enables an exceptional student devoted to humanitarianism to spend an academic year pursuing graduate study at a university outside of North America.

“The more I heard about the Rotary Scholarship, the more I thought it was something I would love to be a part of,” Leahey says. “That’s one of the perks of living in a small town—you get to know the amazing people who are part of organizations like Rotary with local chapters.”

The District 6710 Rotary group covers Kentucky west of Lexington, and the Global Grant Scholarship is awarded to students with a project or area of graduate study aligning with one of Rotary’s seven areas of focus: peace and conflict/resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, economic and community development, and protecting the environment.

Leahey is the fifth Centre winner of the Global Grant since its inception in 2014.

She will be studying environmental change and sustainability at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

“When I found the program at Manchester that combined climate change and international development into one Master of Science degree, Manchester took its place at the top of my list,” says Leahey.

She also explains why Manchester is such an important place in environmental history: “Manchester was at the center of the Industrial Revolution, so this location is extremely relevant in terms of environmental and development studies.”

As for her passion for the environment and sustainability, Leahey says, “I grew up spending as much time as I could exploring outside, where I relished Kentucky’s rolling Knobs, creeks, plants and animals. As I got older, I discovered I also loved learning about natural ecosystems in the classroom.”

Leahey’s goals for the future of the environment involve finding sustainable solutions in the context of development. Her multiple international experiences, including a summer in Thailand and a January CentreTerm in New Zealand, also contributed to her global outlook on environmental development. “I am intent upon contributing to climate change solutions that prioritize communities’ needs and work towards a more just and sustainable future,” she says.

In addition to this achievement, Leahey is also a RICE presentation winner and the winner of the John Marshall Harlan Award in 2020.

Milton Reigelman, a Centre professor emeritus and Rotarian, says of Leahey, “She knows small-town Kentucky and yet she has this incredible international outlook and experience. She operates in both worlds equally well.”

Robert Schalkoff, director of the Lincoln Scholars Program, concurs: “In addition to Kate’s exceptional academic record at Centre, she is able to tell an incredibly authentic and compelling story about what has led her to pursue the M.Sc. in International Development: Environment, Climate Change, and Development at Manchester. I believe the Rotarians found in Kate exactly what they are looking for in Rotary Global Grant scholars. It’s hard to imagine a better fit.”

After her time in the United Kingdom, Leahey plans to attend law school, where she will study international and environmental law.

“My long-term career goals involve environmental policymaking and litigation on both grassroots and international levels,” she says. “I hope to litigate while generating and advising policies in this area as part of a larger organization that addresses these issues.”