Kathryn Supko Believes It’s All About Education

Kathryn Supko ’75 earned her degree at Idaho in elementary education and spent two years as a teacher. Even though she shifted her career path – she’s now a wealth management adviser with Northwest Mutual Financial Network in Boise – actively supporting education remains close to her heart.

“I always have believed, having been in education and having raised two children, that our educators are to be valued, and it is such an important part of our American way of life,” says Kathryn. “That’s why I want to do whatever I can to help with education.”

Kathryn’s most recent gift to the University of Idaho is a $50,000 pledge to the Operation Education Scholarship Program.

Operation Education helps severely and permanently wounded veterans earn a college degree at Idaho.

“I was invited to the first event the University had in Boise two years ago, and they did a very compelling presentation. It caught my heart,” recalls Kathryn. “I truly felt that this was a way the University could do something nobody else had done before to impact people’s lives in such a positive way.”

There are currently six Operation Education scholarship recipients attending Idaho. Each receives an individualized scholarship that helps them meet the challenges of returning to civilian life, adjust to life with a disability and earn a college degree. Depending on their needs, it can include tuition, fees and books, on-campus housing, transportation, medical assistance, childcare, adaptive equipment, tutoring and mentorship.

Kathryn’s dedication to the University has been substantial. She established a teacher education scholarship endowment in the College of Education. She sits on the National Advisory Board for the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival and is on the board of directors of the University of Idaho Foundation. She is a member of the Vandal Scholarship Fund’s Quarterback Club. And she donated to the transformation of the University Classroom Center into the high-tech Teaching and Learning Center.

“It might seem like my donations are all over the board,” says Kathryn, “but really, it all ends up being about education. The Quarterback Club helps support student-athletes – it’s about those students getting an education. Operation Education is about education, the jazz festival is about education – so it all comes back to education. In my current career, I’m a wealth management adviser, and that’s not about knowing what investments to choose, it’s about educating people as to the life paths they need to take to build wealth. I feel like my degree in education has served me well throughout my career.”