Kate Marsi

About me

I grew up in rural New York State surrounded by 30 acres of deciduous forest. My first and greatest love was horses, and I spent the years after my undergraduate education riding, training, and competing dressage horses and working for several prominent trainers. Eventually, I returned to school, earning master's degrees in social work and public health. I have also served as a US Peace Corps Volunteer, living in Tanzania and Botswana, where I worked on projects involving HIV and STI mitigation, particularly among youth, through health promotion, education and referral services, as well as biointensive agriculture projects. I have been working in public health research and policy arenas for over a decade. While I had long been intrigued by rowing, I didn’t actually sit in a shell and pull on an oar until the summer of 2017 (at age 34). To say the sport has changed my life would be an understatement–rowing is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, physically or mentally, bar none... and almost certainly one of the most rewarding. In the 7 years since that fateful summer, I’ve been fortunate to race regionally and nationally throughout the US with a number of fantastic masters clubs. In addition to rowing, I’m an avid cyclist, and have dabbled in triathlon. I love spending time outdoors and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where I’m lucky to have lived for almost 10 years. Horses are still a big part of my life and I ride whenever I can.

Motivations

I’m a sucker for an adventure! The opportunity to participate in an endeavour like this with similarly passionate and committed individuals to increase awareness of conservation issues facing the Zambezi River Basin while raising money for worthy causes and organisations would be an incredible way of bringing together my passion (rowing) and my vocation (public health) to make a difference in people's lives in one of the most remarkable parts of our world. To put it another way, I recognise a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when I see it. :)

Worries

The idea of being surrounded by elite-level athletes on this expedition is inspiring... and daunting. I also worry about giving a clear message in fundraising efforts that allows donors to truly understand the work being done. Building trust with donors, recipient organisations, and the communities themselves will be essential to creating resiliency and achieving sustainable, durable impacts that are tailored to the specific needs of local communities long after the expedition is over.

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