Esther Smith
Born and raised in Berlin, Germany, Esther pursued her Masters Degree in Elementary Education to follow her passion teaching children and currently works as a teacher in Austin, Texas. Esther met Kaitlyn in 2009 during her highschool exchange year in Houston. Her friendship with Kaitlyn grew when she visited Lindsey in Austin every summer. When Esther and Kaitlyn both lived in Austin, their friendship grew to a best friendship through enjoying nature, live music and "friends family" dinners together. When thinking about Kaitlyn, Esther describes her experience as “nobody has made anyone around her laugh so much like her, cared so much about the people around her and there was no question for her to come to my Masters graduation on a work day”. Her life towards fire safety has changed rapidly after Kaitlyn's passing. Esther checks her gas outlets every day, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors monthly and makes sure her candles are out. She is a strong believer in KaitKares's mission and contributes her creative, research and leadership skills to strengthen future awareness of fire safety.