If Senior Class President Katy Bieneman '98 could do anything in her life, she would become a painter. Bieneman is passionate about impressionist painting and, in particular, the works of Vincent Van Gogh.
Bieneman seems divided, however, between her passion, painting, and her ambition, politics. "Painting is too risky as a profession," she admitted. To make her living, Bieneman said she aspires to a career in politics.
In her four years at Dartmouth, Bieneman has been actively involved in student government. Last spring she was elected as the president of the Class of 1998.
Quite appropriately, Bieneman is a government major. She explained that government classes teach students not only facts, but also the ability to reason.
"Government classes help students to formulate their own thoughts and to make choices for themselves," she said.
Bieneman spent last summer at the CNN office in Washington D.C., where she worked as a production assistant, researching background information for the political debate show "Crossfire."
"The best part of my job was serving tea and water to Pat Buchanan and Geraldine Ferraro," she said.
While at CNN, Bieneman worked alongside one of Reverend Jesse Jackson's friends. She is now trying to recruit Jackson to speak at this year's Senior Symposium.
Bieneman came to Dartmouth from Columbus, Ohio. She affectionately referred to her hometown as the "Hog Capital of the World" and said she is glad to have left the Midwest for college.
In high school, Bieneman was an editor of her school newspaper. She also led the "Key Club," a service organization dedicated to volunteer work in her community.
During her first two years at Dartmouth, Bieneman was involved in the "Connections" program at the Tucker Foundation, where she worked with mentally disabled children.
Bieneman promised an exciting Spring term for her classmates. In addition to Jackson, Bieneman is trying to recruit Lamar Alexander and the producer of "60 Minutes" for the symposium in April.
Bieneman is also organizing "Senior Week," an event that will offer the senior class Miniversity courses on massage, wine-tasting, rock-climbing and "everything else we missed out in our four years at Dartmouth."
Bieneman is also contemplating various theme days such as "Fat Tuesday," when seniors would enjoy a lobster feast, followed by a barbecue.
Bieneman said she is most likely heading to New York after graduation to begin work with an unspecified consulting firm.
