Katherine “Kat” Faulkner is a student employment coordinator for UNC Greensboro and PhD candidate in the university’s Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations Program.
She is Kirby’s ex-girlfriend and first great love. The two met during Freshman year of college at Arcadia University and were together for several years.
Kirby has said, “Throughout college, and even after college, she was the most important person in the world to me. She showed me what romantic love is. And if it wasn’t for her, I’d probably be very stupid — she’s one of the smartest and most compassionate people I’ve ever known.” The two have not spoken since 2018.
Background
Kat was raised in Redwood, California, where she lived with her parents and brother. Her father owned a Halloween store but passed away when she was young. Following his death, she suffered a stress-induced cardiac episode — often referred to as a “broken heart” — and was hospitalized.
The family later relocated to Greensboro, North Carolina, to be closer to her mother’s relatives. Despite these early hardships and living with dyslexia, she graduated salutatorian of her high school. During this time, she also became deeply involved in the local rockabilly scene and spent time in Africa teaching children.
An exceptional student, Kat entered Arcadia University intending to complete her undergraduate degree in three years but ultimately made the choice to stay for four. During her junior year, she studied abroad in Edinburgh, where she interned with the Scottish Parliament.
After college, she served as Director for the AmeriCorps Partnership to End Homelessness at The Servant Center and later held administrative positions in the City of Greensboro’s Human Rights Department. She also instructed refugees in community orientation at Church World Service Greensboro.
Kat holds a Master of Public Affairs from UNC Greensboro, where she is pursuing her PhD in Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations.