Katie Ruhe ’25 was recently honored as a Gen Z Future Leader by Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Greenwich at the organization’s annual spring celebration. The event held at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center on Thursday, May 1, recognized Katie’s leadership, compassion, and tireless work supporting refugee and immigrant families in the greater Greenwich community.

"I was impressed by Katie Ruhe when our paths first crossed and have had the pleasure of seeing her several times as she remains a leading member of the King community serving vulnerable refugees and immigrants,” said JFS CEO Rachel Kornfeld in an email announcing the recognition. “During a challenging time in history, we need more ‘Katies’ to guide our future." 

Katie’s connection with the organization began two years ago when she sat down to interview a Ukrainian refugee for an AP World History project led by teacher Lindsey Rossler. The conversation became a spark that would deeply shape her perspective and inspire a lasting commitment to service.

“Unbeknownst to me, Katie reached out to JFS that summer, and with support from a few classmates, began to fulfill an Amazon wishlist for a newly resettled family,” said Rossler. “Katie never forgot the experience and worked with Mrs. Raidt to create a JFS club and make it a partner organization.”

In addition to supporting JFS initiatives, Katie continued to document immigrant stories through the interview project, which is now offered as a stand-alone course titled “Empowering Voices,” co-taught by Rossler and Art and Design Chair Brady Shoemaker. The importance of her work was recognized by Yale’s Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, which holds one of her videos in its archive.

For her senior project, Katie is creating a digital archive where the “Empowering Voices” interviews are labelled, translated, captioned, edited, and held. The footage will then be used to create a documentary film, which will be sent to government representatives to lobby on behalf of refugees.

In addition to her work with JFS and the JFS Club, Katie is deeply involved in the King community. She co-founded the Sustainability Club, serves on the Student Council, and offers her time as a peer tutor and mentor. She’s also a four-year varsity athlete in both soccer and lacrosse, balancing her academic and service commitments with her passion for athletics.