An Elizabethtown College education is for people who feel the pull to contribute to the world. With a network of 24,425 living alumni, our graduates leave Etown to become the influential advocates and changemakers the world needs more of.
Meet Kathleen Slater ’93, an Early Childhood & Elementary Education alumna who built a fulfilling career as a preschool and second-grade teacher before embracing her most rewarding role yet, stay-at-home mom. Slater has embodied Etown’s Educate for Service motto by volunteering in her kids’ schools, assisting in classrooms, and coordinating her neighborhood’s food project by helping distribute essentials to local food pantries. The Etown lineage continues for Kathleen’s family as her daughter, Lauren Slater ’28, is beginning her college journey as an incoming Blue Jay in the fall of 2024.
“I thrived on the small campus, with small class sizes and the family feel that is Elizabethtown College. I made lifelong friends, who I am still close with now, over 30 years later.”
What defined your Etown experience?
I thrived on the small campus, with small class sizes and the family feel that is Elizabethtown. I made lifelong friends, who I am still close with now, over 30 years later. I enjoyed the traditions of Etown, Thanksgiving meals served by the professors, mingling with staff during a regular dinner in the cafeteria, and warm days spent relaxing in the Dell.
How has your Etown degree benefitted you and your career success?
Etown made me well-prepared for my teaching career. I spent so much of my class time working in actual classrooms, so I was ready to begin on my own. The professors provided me with a wealth of book knowledge and also helped me with the practical aspects of working in a classroom.
How have you made a difference in the lives of others through your career and/or personal life?
I currently live in the town where I taught second grade. I hope I positively impacted their lives, even for one short year, and I am always gratified when I see my former students now living successful lives with a career and families of their own. I can only hope they remember their experiences in my classroom.
What is your passion? Where do you place your energy besides your career?
I believe my passion for the last 20 years has been being a caregiver and a mom. I have raised my family and been able to care for aging members of my family. I have seen my two children graduate high school and will soon watch my youngest begin college at Etown.
I have also used my energy for service during these years. I have been able to volunteer in their schools and help in their classrooms. I also volunteer as a neighborhood coordinator for a local food project. I gather nonperishables from my neighbors and then deliver them to a local church. The food is distributed to local food pantries in my county. It is a year-round commitment that both my children have also spent time supporting.
View more Etown Changemakers at etown.edu/125.