Meet Kate McSoley. Kate is a South Florida native to the core. She was born and raised here, went to college, and currently works and lives in Broward County. Kate attended the University of Miami and received a bachelor’s degree in human development. Like most college seniors, she was unsure where her degree would lead her exactly. After finding out that she needed to complete an internship in order to graduate, Kate began looking into non-profits.

Kate has a philanthropic streak. All her life, she has volunteered and supported various non-profits. She enjoys donating her time to causes bigger than herself, and she loves meeting fellow volunteers and supporting the mission of various charitable organizations. She says of the Red Cross, “I’d always known about them and have been particularly interested in learning more about the work they do.” Always a resourceful and diligent student, Kate went online to research internship opportunities with the Red Cross and connected with a local recruitment representative. After learning that she was the first college student to apply for an internship for Spring 2021, she had her choice of placement within the organization. Kate decided to learn about non-profit management and joined the team of Debbie Koch, the Executive Director for the Greater Miami and The Keys chapter.

Debbie quickly showed Kate the inner workings of the South Florida Red Cross and introduced her to staff, volunteers, and the chapter’s board members. Kate was eager to learn and assisted with various projects for six months. As Kate’s internship was coming to an end and her graduation date quickly approached, she was still unsure of what to do professionally after college. Around the same time, an opportunity within the Volunteer Services department of the South Florida Red Cross became available, and Debbie encouraged her to apply for the position. Kate applied for the job, went through rounds of interviews, met the team she would be working with, crossed her fingers, and waited for a decision.

As luck would have it, Kate received her employment offer one day before her college graduation ceremony – checking off her goal of having a job post-graduation. June 1 marked one year since Kate has served as the Senior Volunteer Engagement Representative for the South Florida Red Cross. “The Red Cross isn’t just a job to me. It is inspiring to be part of an organization where our volunteers and donors do so much to support the mission of preventing and alleviating human suffering. The Red Cross is the change I want to see in the world.”

The Red Cross is always looking for people with various backgrounds, talents, and skill levels. For internship or volunteer opportunities in South Florida, visit redcross.org/SFLvolunteer.

Written by Stephanie Wesseling, American Red Cross Public Affairs