Seneca Scholar: Katherine Lawhon

Katherine Lawhon discovered the Classical Education program while searching for a way to further her education that would help her run Aquinas Vancouver, a Classical Education Homeschooling Center. She and her husband started this center, encouraged by her friends and her desire for a good homeschooling community. Katherine had always planned on furthering her education with a Master's program in Education; until she attended a CiRCE Institute conference, however, she was unaware that there was an option other than secular education. When she heard about UD’s Classical Education program, she went to sign up for the following spring semester as soon as she could. Since then, the program has helped her as she works as an administrator at Aquinas Vancouver. When asked what made her choose UD’s program over others, she says, “I did not know anything like it existed. I always kind of expected a secular education. Whenever I looked up higher education programs, I always imagined it to be secular, not classical.” 

“For the first time in my life, I was reading the great books. Even though it was school work and it was Covid, it brightened my life because it was joyful. It's not just an education to get from one point to another, but for learning itself.” Katherine speaks highly about the readings assigned as classwork, especially Plato’s Republic and Lincoln's speeches. "Lincoln was so eloquent and incredible. I never would have known that he was really as incredible as history says he is unless I picked up his speeches and read them.”

Katherine recommends to anyone considering UD’s Classical Education program to “do it for yourself.” "It's okay to go slow,” she says, but “just take that step.”