Hello! My name is Katie Burch, and I am a second-year public history master’s student at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I am originally from San Diego, California, but I have lived in Pittsburgh most of my adult life. I earned an A.S. in Early Education and Child Development from the Community College of Allegheny County and a B.A. in Sociology from La Roche University. After I earn my master’s degree, I plan to pursue a Ph.D. focusing on 20th century women’s social movements. I would like to teach and conduct research focusing on second wave feminism.
My interests include reading, writing, and traveling. I like to visit new places and really enjoy Salem and Boston, Massachusetts. I like to visit museums as well. While in graduate school, I work part-time at a women’s oral history project and intern at Duquesne University’s Oral History Initiative.
My dream job is to teach 20th century women’s history. Another possibility I would like to pursue is to work in a women’s history museum, such as the National Women’s History Museum or the Alice Paul Institute. My favorite museum is the Salem Witch Museum. There is so much to learn about persecution and history within this small town and the museum relates to women as well, as most “witches” were women. I have visited this museum several times and each time I go, I find something new to learn about the trials and the history surrounding Salem.
The biggest issue I see facing girls is body image. As a young girl, I faced problems such as body image in ballet. Besides the arts, mainly ballet in this case, body image issues are extremely troubling for girls when advertising and marketing focus on the “ideal image.” Moving away from an idealized body is essential for girls to gain self-confidence. One of the biggest issues involving body image is social media and all the filters people use to portray themselves a certain way. When young girls see themselves and then compare themselves to photoshopped or filtered images, problems arise. Messaging needs to reflect positive things.
I am very excited to join the Girl Museum team!
-Katie Burch
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.