Kathryn Rochford cannot be president.
It is not because she is 8-and-a-half years old, or that there has not yet been a female president. No — her story is a bit more esoteric.
Kathryn was born in Singapore before she moved with her family back to the United States, landing in Morton.
The Rochfords were posted in Singapore for about four-and-a-half years while Kathryn’s father, Mike, worked for Caterpillar Inc. It was not until about  six months prior to returning to the United States that Kathryn was born.
The problem is, Kathryn was not a “natural born citizen.” The term refers to a requirement for eligibility to serve as president or vice president of the United States.
Section 1 of Article 2 of the United States Constitution states:
“No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”
This got Kathryn thinking — “Why not?”
The thought came about during her time as a first grader.
“I told my parents that I wanted to be president,” she said.
To her dismay, she learned, per requirements of the Constitution, that she was not an eligible citizen.
Kathryn’s mother, Leah, said she learned quickly, you cannot tell a child they cannot do something. Kathryn took it upon herself to contact the powers that be about the tiny clause in the Constitution that is damaging to her dreams of being the leader of the free world.
She wrote a letter to then-President George W. Bush:
“Dear Mr. President — Thank you for being our president. You are a very good one. I feel good right now. I was born in Singapore and I heard you can’t be president unless you were born in the United States of America. Do you think you could change that law? Where were you born? Are you excited about your daughter getting married?
Dear Mrs. Bush — I heard you were a librarian. Well, I love to read! All summer. I have been reading! I like A to Z mysteries and (the) Magic Treehouse book series. Where is your daughter’s wedding? Is everybody that lives in your town happy and excited? What’s your favorite color? Mine is pink! What’s your favorite food? Mine is tortellini and gondola! Is your daughter excited about getting married?”
Kathryn wrote the president and first lady in September 2007. Her response came just about a month later. But, to her, it seemed like forever, she said.
“She checked the mailbox everyday,” Leah said.
Unfortunately, the day the letter from Bush arrived, Kathryn’s father got to it first, she said. “My daddy picked it up,” Kathryn said.
She was elated to the point of tears. “I was crying so hard that I had to have my mom read it,” she said. “I wanted to bring it in to school and show it to everybody.”
Though the letter from Bush did not address the issue at hand, Kathryn said she was surprised to receive it.
“I thought that maybe if I wrote to the president, that maybe he could help,” Kathryn said. “I was really happy that I even got a response.”
And, the letter brings a newfound hope for the youngster — she is not giving up. Kathryn is working on a new draft for newly-elected President Barack Obama, which she plans to send out in the near future.
Dawn Nichting, who works with Kathryn’s father, is touched by the youngster’s efforts.
“When Caterpillar employees learned President Barack Obama would be visiting our East Peoria facilities last February, my phone started ringing. So, when I returned my phone calls, I told my friends that if I did have a ticket, it was spoken for. I wanted Kathryn to have a chance to tell the president that she understands that he said he ‘stands for change.’ Obviously, Kathryn does believe.”
And, as she did with Bush, she included some personal questions for Obama as a result of some research.
“I think I should have the right to be president,” she wrote in her draft. “I thought that you would understand my problem because your sister wasn’t born in America, either.”
“Please let me know if you’re able to change the Constitution so that one day I can be president like you,” she added.
Kathryn said she knows the responsibilities a United States president takes on are far reaching. And, she understands the task is not for everyone. But, she said, she is not intimidated.
“I feel really good about helping  people in other communities and other parts of the world,” she said. “I think I could probably handle it,” she said.
During Kathryn’s efforts, Leah and Mike continued to research that clause in the Constitution. Leah said Kathryn’s Singapore birth certificate specifically states that she has no right to citizenship. So, with that in mind, Leah wonders if Kathryn is automatically assumed to be an American citizen.
There is too much gray area, she said. The Supreme Court will not define “natural born citizen.” Nonetheless, the entire experience has been great for her daughter, Leah said.
“It’s been interesting,” she said. “We’re just encouraging her. If you feel passionate about something, just give it a try.
“She’s learned determination,” Leah said.
As for Kathryn and her quest to change the Constitution and someday be a president she said it is too early to quit.