Constant role model

Commencement speaker Kate Constant, ’23 political science and history, on perseverance, justice, and what comes next
 

When Kate Constant was in high school, she experienced a tragedy that exposed her to the unfairness of life. At the time, she felt the only thing she could control was her education. It gave her direction and purpose when everything around her felt like it was falling apart. She remembers studying Supreme Court cases and finding power and promise in the law’s ability to rectify injustice.

Years later, when taking political science and history classes at UCI, she learned, in depth, how the founding and formation of our country came at the cost of the exploitation of others. This sparked a yearning for justice again.

“Learning about injustice was one thing, but I wanted to do more than that,” she says.

Constant has done more than learn and has channeled her sense of injustice into action. She has led a campus organization that prepares at-risk and underprivileged students for college, she is a board member of a federally recognized non-profit organization, and she’s recently been accepted to law school. Although she has experience in bankruptcy and personal injury law from working at two law firms as an undergrad, she plans to pursue studies and a career in social justice and public service law. To cap off her undergraduate experience, she has been given the honor of being selected as one of only two undergraduate commencement speakers from the School of Social Sciences graduating class of 2023.

Community contributions

The injustice Constant learned about in her political science and history courses inspired her to contribute to her community. She got in touch with the student-run Inspire to Aspire, an organization that mentors underprivileged high school students to succeed in high school and beyond. When the graduating seniors left, the organization lost its momentum. Constant stepped in and found a new community of students to recommit to the cause. She now mentors five high school students and has developed a life skills program to help students set goals and apply to college.

Constant’s work with Inspire to Aspire led her to the non-profit organization You Run This Town Foundation Orange County, which provides at-risk students with resources to finish high school and to pursue higher education. She has been appointed to their board of directors and is the youngest member—and only student—on the board. In this role, she oversees the scholarship application process and takes students shopping as part of the dress for success component of the organization.

It was through this combination of her studies and volunteer work that Constant found her calling.

“I knew public service law was my purpose and not just something I was passionate about,” she says.

In many ways, Constant seems too good to be true. Her dedication to lifting others up (both human and non-human) is inspirational. In addition to the time she devotes to Inspire to Aspire and You Run This Town Foundation Orange County, she volunteers at an animal shelter as a dog socializer.

“Taking care of the dogs is my happy place. I don’t know who takes care of who more,” she says.

In addition to her volunteer work, Constant created her own business selling hair accessories to earn money during the pandemic. She taught herself how to manage all aspects of the business—from accounting, to raw materials, to shipping, to spearheading her own marketing campaign on Instagram. Her hard work resulted in sales in 10 states nationwide.

New perspectives

Another formative undergraduate experience Constant had was serving as a learning assistant for lecturer Steven Bilakovics’s “Liberalism versus Conservatism” class. As a student in the course, she exceled. She was diligent about attending office hours and responded to all the optional online discussion boards.

“Maybe I had a little too much excitement for that class,” she says laughing.

Constant’s dedication to the course did not go unnoticed.

“Kate is one of the very best students I’ve taught in my five years at UC Irvine, and among the finest I’ve taught in twenty years at Harvard, Yale, UCLA, and elsewhere. She made a real effort to genuinely question her own views and advance her understanding of both the course materials and the world in which she lives,” says Bilakovics.

Constant continued to impress Bilakovics when she was brought on to assist the class she had formerly taken as a student.

“Unsurprisingly, she far exceeded expectations in that capacity as well. I couldn’t have asked anything more of her regarding the quality and conscientiousness of her work,” he says.

As a learning assistant, she held her own office hours, graded papers, and gained a wider perspective in the process.

“I had an incredible experience. The students were great. I was able to take the class again, but from another perspective. I saw how everyone perceived the material differently. It inspired me to want to be a professor. I’d love to come back and teach at UCI,” she says.

Forever grateful

This fall, Constant will be headed to law school. She’s been accepted to a number of top schools but has yet to make a final decision. Wherever she attends, she knows she will focus on social justice and public service law and will participate in the social justice clinic associated with the school.

“I have no doubt she'll excel wherever she decides to attend. I look forward to seeing her continue to grow as a student and a person, and eventually to make a meaningful difference as a lawyer,” says Bilakovics.

Constant has had to face personal hardships, as well as a college experience marred by a pandemic, and news cycles replete with tragedy. Through it all, she has remained grateful and hopeful.

“UCI has prepared me for law school, and I’ve received an incredible education, but the university has given me so much more that. I’ve learned how to collaborate and to be a leader. The professors have touched my heart and inspired me to be the best student and person I can be. I’ll always be forever grateful to them,” she says. 

 - Jill Kato for UCI Social Sciences