Kathy Hayes

I was born and raised in southeast Idaho—the Potato Capitol of the World. Everything I learned about work, I learned working in the potatoes.

In late elementary school I started picking potatoes by hand. Working with a partner, we picked potatoes for 7¢ a 100 lb. bag. (Do the math, that’s 3½ ¢ per person per bag. Sometimes we’d earn as much as $3.50 a day!)

Next, I worked on huge metal combines in neighbors' fields. Finally, I worked in the desert on the bulkers for 10-12 hours a day, part of the time in the dark under the bulker lights.

All of the work was dirty, exhausting, monotonous, and seemingly endless. But, I learned some solid concepts about jobs and life:

Expect work to be hard, it will be.
You’ll never be paid as much as you’re worth. Get over it.
Learn to enjoy the work you do and the people you’re with, it changes every aspect of your life.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and have worked in non-credit education at ISU for over 20 years. The thing I love most about my job is knowing that we are helping people achieve their dreams.

My motto at home is “Live Well, Laugh Often, and Love Much.”

My motto at work is “Learning Changes Lives.”