Lemoore grad Katie Lowe finds a second home on South Pacific island of Tonga, teaching English while serving with the Peace Corps

Kennedy told Americans that the United States had no similar programs. He wanted a change, to get young Americans involved more actively in the cause of global democracy, peace, development, and freedom.

Nearly 60 years later, Kennedy’s words still resonate. Just ask the thousands of volunteers who over the last five decades have responded to his call for action, to spread peace and freedom throughout the world.

Or, you might ask Katie Lowe.

Somewhere, somehow, 10 presidents and nearly six decades later, Lowe, a 25-year-old Lemoore High School, and Humboldt State grad, the daughter of a distinguished educator and former naval aviator, responded to the long-ago magic of Kennedy’s words and decided she needed to be a part of his original mission. She joined the Peace Corps, Kennedy’s idyllic mission that, since 1961, has sent out to the world nearly 220,000 volunteers, bringing peace and knowledge to 141 countries.

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The likable Lowe, a 25-year-old bundle of energy, is a 2011 LHS grad, who left the comfort and tranquility of her hometown for the redwood trees and cool climate of Humboldt State. She prospered in the fresh air and green surroundings, excelling in college and graduating magna cum laude, capping it all off by completing her bachelor’s degree while compiling an impressive 3.8 GPA.

That Katie Lowe excelled isn’t all that surprising considering her roots. She hails from a family of unassuming high achievers, all of whom have contributed to their community, or country.

Katie Lowe teaches English as a Second Language in Tonga where she's been living for the past two years as a Peace Corps volunteer. Here, she's with a few of her students.

Her mother, Sandi, is a well-known and somewhat legendary figure in Kings County, a student-athlete who dominated Lemoore High School’s basketball and volleyball courts. Her prodigious athletic abilities earned her national recognition, eventually landing her a spot at Fresno State where she excelled in collegiate athletics. She ultimately earned teaching and administrative credentials and returned to Lemoore High School as a teacher, coach, and administrator.

The elder Lowe retired recently from the Lemoore High School District after guiding the Gertrude F. Gundacker Community Education Center, the alternative education home of Jamison High School and other independent programs, to local and statewide recognition. Sandy Lowe twice earned the Kings County Administrator of the Year Award – so far, the only county administrator ever to accomplish the feat – for her work with Lemoore’s alternative education program.

Katie’s father, Rob, a United States Naval Academy grad, served his country as a naval aviator. While stationed at NAS Lemoore, he met his future wife, Sandi, on the softball field. He too entered the education field, becoming a Lemoore High School physics teacher. Rob recently retired after a distinguished career.

The final member of the Lowe family, older-sister Lynzi, rounds out the family business. She’s a counselor in the Hanford Elementary School District.

Katie recently returned home for a few weeks to spend the holidays with family and catch up with a few friends. For more than two years she’s served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the South Pacific, more specifically, serving on a tiny island named Tongatapu, part of Tonga, a Polynesian kingdom of more than 170 South Pacific islands.

If the first thing that comes to mind is white beaches, cool breezes, tropical vegetation, and a friendly population, then you’d be right. While it’s not quite a mecca of tourism, it has all the trappings of a tropical paradise. Lowe said the island itself is about 25 miles wide and 50 miles in length.

“It’s not a very touristy place,” she said. “But it’s developing. The highest building is two stories. It’s so beautiful.” She said the entire nation of islands has a population of about 100,000. Sixty thousand citizens live on Tongatapu, where she lived and taught.

Katie Lowe sports traditional Tongan dress as she teaches for the Peace Corps on Tongatapu, as island in Tonga, a Polynesian kingdom of more than 170 South Pacific islands.

Tongatapu is Tonga’s main island and is home to the provincial capital of Nuku’alofa, where the king lives, complete with a sparkling palace. Tonga, from 1900 to 1970, enjoyed British protected-state status as the United Kingdom managed the kingdom’s foreign affairs. In 2010 Tonga became a constitutional monarchy.

Katie has spent the last two years on Tongatapu teaching English as a second language to Tongan youngsters – and she loves it. She primarily teaches the fifth and sixth grades. “I loved the kids and the culture. It’s such a special place,” she says, displaying a friendly, sincere smile.

The Peace Corps certainly prepares its volunteers for their assignments. Once on the ground, freshly-minted volunteers are assigned to a host village. “That’s where we meet our host families,” said Lowe. “We stayed with our hosts to assimilate with cultural and language lessons. We also had safety training.”

Why join the Peace Corps? Her answer comes easy as if she’s known the answer since birth.

“I’ve always enjoyed working with people,” she said while relaxing in the comfortable kitchen of her parents’ Lemoore home. “I’ve had a lot of different passions.” One of those passions was to join the Peace Corps, something that lingered in her mind like a familiar song. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

Her original plan was to join the Peace Corps directly out of high school, but that idea quickly bit the dust when she discovered that prospective Peace Corps volunteers needed a college degree.

She didn’t waste any time earning a diploma.

She put her Peace Corps dreams on hold while excelling in college. “I was really busy,” she recalled, tackling a variety of responsibilities that included peer counseling, working in college admissions, tutoring other students, and much more. “I really found a niche there.”

With the many extracurriculars, she still found time to excel in the classroom.

She also volunteered with Hospice of Humboldt. “I worked with their fundraising in the thrift shop,” she said proudly. She also – in her busy schedule – found time to work with senior citizens. For Lowe, her college education complete, and after a stint doing public relations for a Humboldt bread and breakfast, fulfilled her life-long dream. She joined the Peace Corps.

The socially conscious college graduate was initially scheduled to depart for El Salvador, but for “political and safety reasons” the Peace Corps abandoned the plan, instead opting for the gentle tropical winds of Tonga where the welcoming kingdom has opened its arms and hearts to many Peace Corps volunteers.

Tonga is about 5,386 miles west of Lemoore, deep in the heart of the South Pacific. Tongatapu is a short flight from the tourist mecca of Fiji and about 2,500 miles from Australia’s east coast.

The idyllic paradise, with its trade winds, white beaches, and welcoming islanders – despite its charm – is not immune from the elements as the unsuspecting Lowe and her fellow Peace Corps volunteers discovered early in 2018.

A significant cyclone (a form of South Pacific hurricane) struck the island in February, bringing terror and destruction. Lowe said the storm was the biggest to hit Tonga in 60 to 70 years. “It was really scary,” she remembered. “Leading up to it all the volunteers consolidated into a safe place. I saw trees fall over. It was just incredible.”

The storm did considerable damage, severely damaging the island and frightening its residents. “There was a lot of destruction. The power was out for two months, and it ruined the crops,” remembered Lowe. She said that even school was postponed for a period as the Islanders and Tongatapu recovered.

Lowe is returning to Tongatapu just a few days after Christmas, and she’s bound for a new job and a more defining role, one that comes with an additional layer of responsibility. She will take over as the island’s Peace Corps liaison. Lowe will serve as the Peace Corps volunteers’ leader, assuring incoming volunteers become acclimated to their new jobs. “I will check on all the volunteers,” she said. She’ll also help to develop new programs.

She’ll remain in Tonga for about another year before returning to the United States. She wants to continue her career with the Peace Corps and hopes to land a job in Washington D.C. or maybe elsewhere in the organization. “I love the organization. I want to be a part of it.”  

Mom and dad are proud of their children and pleased that daughter Katie is excelling. “That (Peace Corps) was her passion,” said Sandi Lowe. “Things work out for a reason.”