'Hello, Kate? It's Jill Biden': First lady invites Arlington Heights teen to State of the Union
By Marni Pyke
And Alicia Fabbre
mpyke@dailyherald.com
afabbre@dailyherald.com
A Rolling Meadows High School sophomore got a call from Washington recently.
"Hello, Kate? It's Jill Biden. How are you doing?" the voice said. "Would you like to be my guest at the State of the Union?"
"Yes I would!" Kate Foley replied, her eyes wide.
"Good, I can't wait to give you a hug," said the first lady, who posted a video of the conversation on Twitter.
Foley, who's specializing in computer-integrated manufacturing studies, was among 26 guests of the first lady who got a close-up view of President Joe Biden's speech. And Foley got to sit right next to the first lady - and behind esteemed guests like U2 singer Bono; Brandon Tsay, who wrestled away the weapon from the gunman in the Monterey Park, California, mass shooting; and RowVaughn and Rodney Wells of Memphis, Tennessee, the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, who died last month after being severely beaten by police in Memphis.
The Arlington Heights teenager's journey to Washington began in November when Jill Biden visited Rolling Meadows as part of National Apprenticeship Week and learned about the school's Career Pathways Program.
The initiative gives students insight into professions through specialized courses and internships.
During the Nov. 14 tour, Biden worked the controls of a robot made by engineering and manufacturing students and participated in a roundtable that included Foley.
The 10th-grader explained that "my mom is a three-time cancer survivor, so that definitely helped me pick my career path. I want to go into biomedical engineering. I saw what her treatments had done and I feel like there's a much better way to handle that."
"I already knew I loved science and engineering before coming into high school, and then getting to high school and having access to all the machines and different pathways definitely nudged me in the right direction," Foley told the Daily Herald during Biden's visit.
Arriving in Washington Tuesday helped reassure Foley "it wasn't a dream. It's actually happening. I am here ... and it's just incredible," she said in a Zoom interview conducted by Northwest Suburban High School District 214.
She's still pinching herself, though.
"It's really crazy. I met (Biden) in November once. So, for me to have made that big impression on her and realize, 'Oh my God, she remembered me,' is an unearthly feeling."
District 214 Co-Interim Superintendent Ken Arndt said Tuesday it was "already an honor" to host Biden, and inviting a student to the address "is incredible."
"We are so proud of Kate. Dr. Biden and Kate truly shared a connection during their roundtable discussion on our Career Pathways Program. We are thrilled the first lady thought of us and thankful she provided this life-changing opportunity to one of our students."
Some other guests in Jill Biden's viewing box were Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S.; Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris; Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; and Ruth Cohen, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor from the Washington area.
Jill Biden invited individuals "who personify issues or themes" the president will draw on or that "embody the Biden-Harris administration's policies at work for the American people," White House officials said in a statement. Joe Biden has long supported expanding research into cancer and reducing the death rate.
Asked if she felt nervous Tuesday, Foley said, "Very."
Biden tweeted, "You light up the classroom when you talk about your dreams of becoming an engineer - I am honored to have you join me at the State of the Union tonight."