CATHERINE MCMILLAN
Strategy | Writer | Leader
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to develop self-sustaining and
human-centered solutions that enhance equity & access to opportunity
MY MISSION
Let me introduce myself
I'm more than my resume.
My life is my portfolio, a collection of experiences that have sharpened my creativity, problem-solving, and collaborative skills.
I learned how to communicate across language barriers while teaching English to my friend Meryem, a Moroccan immigrant. I understood the challenges of running a nonprofit organization when I started one myself at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. I navigated role reversals and the importance of expertise when I took on Duke’s Dean of Students as my first piano student. I developed resilience and grit when I signed on as the sole designer of Duke Blockchain Lab’s flagship NFT project with a non-technical background.
I chase opportunities for continuous learning. From starting a nonprofit to designing NFTs, I lean into discomfort, embracing the challenge of starting at ground zero. As I take on my next steps post-graduation, I intend to add value wherever I land with my unique experiences and my determination to be a better, stronger person every day.
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Three Dimensional Creativity
Music
Lifelong musician, improviser, and composer
When I was younger, I learned my treble and bass clefs alongside my ABCs. Since then, music has been a formative vehicle for self-expression.
Over the years, I've learned (and forgotten) classical repertoire, developed my own compositional style, and maintained discipline while also harnessing my creativity.
Writing
I'm a humanist.
The process of telling and hearing stories is my life source. That's why I studied history: to engage with human narratives in all their complexities. The dynamic environments we occupy, some as small as a household and others as big as continents, shape our experiences and who we become.
I'm an advocate of the oral history tradition and storytelling as a mechanism for social good. From compiling pandemic narratives to writing a thesis on urban renewal programs, I am continuously and relentlessly pursuing opportunities to learn and grow through prose.
I know I've used this image quite a few times now... consider it a motif of the site!
Visual Arts
Scroll below to explore some recent digital art pieces.
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EXPERIENCE
What I’ve Done
September 2021 - December 2021
POLICY RESEARCH INTERN, FREEDMAN CONSULTING LLC
Research philanthropic client funding priorities in immigration, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, housing, poverty alleviation, and mental health resources
Collect and analyze philanthropic data for 25 criminal justice funders and support database management by providing up-to-date information on thousands of grantees
April 2020 - December 2021
CO-FOUNDER, GREATER CHARLOTTE AREA MUTUAL AID
Co-founded a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to support local nonprofits and small businesses experiencing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic by mobilizing youth leaders to fill in volunteer, resource sourcing, and program gaps
Launched the Covid Chronicles Story Bank, a collaborative oral history project to document pandemic narratives in the Greater Charlotte community and sourced 80 interviews in the past year
August 2020 - May 2021
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOW, BASS CONNECTIONS
Researched undergraduate participation in service-learning programs and proposed solutions for issues relating to training, preparation, and cultural responsiveness before entering the classroom
Conducted and coded qualitative interviews and focus groups with education service-learning administration/staff across private and public institutions for higher education
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Learning and Living
Expected Graduation May, 2022
B.A. HISTORY, DUKE UNIVERSITY
Thesis (in progress): The Stories of Spatial Separation: Roads, Race, and Urban Renewal in Charlotte
Relevant Coursework: Data Science, Educational Psychology, News Writing and Reporting, Assessment in Higher Education
SKILLS IN ACTION
Problem-Solving and Platform Building
DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
Duke Accountability Partners (DAP) is a peer-accountability solution for college undergraduates.
DAP represents a community of undergraduates dedicated to personal development and sustainable good habit-making. The matching process for accountability pairs aims to eliminate power dynamics, emphasizing the journey of self-growth and empowerment.
DEFINING PURPOSE AND DRIVING ACTION
Greater Charlotte Area Mutual Aid (GCAMA) is a youth-led organization that aims to dismantle systems of inequality in solidarity — not charity
Our organization accomplishes this through using our 3R Framework for Solidarity: Resilience, Resources, & Relationships. These are our guideposts and benchmarks for evaluating how we live our mission.
