Kaitlyn Mostoller

Who Am I?
I have lead my life with the idea of well-roundedness and diversity at
the forefront of my values. This mindset strongly stems from my family. I
come from a family that has struggled and continues to struggle with
entrenched alcoholism and poverty, and I am lucky to be here. My mom
worked very hard to guide me towards the university by seeking out
opportunities and programs for academic achievement in my town,
Kennewick. She was never able to complete her college education, as she
had to return home to care for her younger siblings, so she strove to ensure
that I would have the freedom to see my own academic journey to
completion.
With the firm, constant hand of my mom pushing me towards
something better and my familial culture pulling me in a conflicting
direction, I adopted rather dissimilar hobbies. To be frank, I doubt there is
another girl in Washington who can dance ballet and play banjo with skill
equal to my own.
Although I had opportunities to attend different colleges, the University
of Washington was the most reasonable option. I was accepted into Johns
Hopkins University, but my parents spent a good portion of the funds that
were to be allocated to my education on my older sister and her Stanford
education (I have some mighty tall boots to fill and a sibling rivalry
reminiscent of the cold war). As a result, there was no reasonable way for me
to afford a Johns Hopkins degree. Apart from that, my parents urged me to
attend a Christian college. This is something I could not consent to. I was
raised in a Baptist church that promoted some fairly archaic, borderline
medieval, views on womens roles and rights. I am unashamed of my
womanhood, and I do not want to be restricted by a religion or university
that asks me to think otherwise. Of course, I could not dissociate from the
religion I was raised with overnight; it has taken me years to develop my
current thoughts on Christianity. Exploration of religion can be quite difficult,
especially when curiosity is viewed as faithlessness and coupled with that
pesky eternal damnation business. As a result, I was drawn to the University
of Washington by their open-minded and appreciative policies of religious
and cultural acceptance.
One of the strongest draws to the University of Washington is their
Native outreach programs and First Nations clubs. The University is home to
a very strong Native community, something that is not present in my
hometown, and I am excited to be a part of that family. My high school
mascot was the braves, which is a roundabout way of saying Natives. The
school had some pretty messed up ways of representing that mascot and
failed to see the issue with making a race of people a mascot in the first
place. Being white-passing, there was no incentive to share my race with
other students, so I never corrected others on their assumption of my 100%

white background. Here, however, I feel comfortable sharing my culture with

others, as there is such a strong support system for native students.
In regards to the honors program, I fell in love with the idea of
academic exploration. I want to take classes that challenge me to think
differently and expand my world views. The isolation that goes along with
living in Kennewick has lead me to a constant state of curiosity towards
diverse thinking and divers life styles. I strongly believe that the honors
program will help me explore that curiosity.