Kate Yates

Along with baking and trying out new recipes, senior Kate Yates spends most of her time running. Yates found inspiration in her high school role model, who was her first cross country captain alumni Laura Rein.

Yates is the varsity cross country captain during fall. In spring, she runs track. Originally, Yates was hesitant to join cross country but now she thinks running is the best part of her day.

“[My older brother] encouraged me to get involved in things like cross country and take classes that he thought I would like. We were pretty close, which I didn’t realize until he left for college. Having someone you can trust to not judge you and support you is really important,” Yates said.

Due to being involved in cross country, Yates struggles with time management. Through working on organization and planning skills, Yates was able to balance homework and extracurriculars.

“I would tell my freshman self to not put so much pressure on myself during school and cross country. High school, for the majority of it, is fun but stressing about tiny things ruins a lot of it. It’s also important to go out of your comfort zone and advocate for yourself,” Yates said. “Don’t let people hold you back from the things you want to do.”