A Note from Mrs. Hayes, Katherine's Teacher

Katherine is a student who stood out to me, even from day one, and she is a student who I felt a deep sense of pride for. She was the student everyone looked up to, her work was completed on time, and completed well, but it was the care that showed through so clearly that made her shine. She works hard, in fact, she worked harder than the majority of her peers.
Katherine was one of the rare student's that I knew I was always able to count on. Not only was she a reliable student in terms of attendance, but she was consistently prepared for class with materials and assignments. You can see in the way she carries herself; she stands tall, she has poise and grace, that she cares about her future. This is a young woman who constantly has her endgame in mind.

Katherine was prepared for High School on day one. I was proud of her commitment to her studies, but I was also proud of her for jumping onto the swim team in the Fall, as well as joining the track team in the Spring. It can be difficult transitioning from Middle School to High School, but I saw none of those Freshman year jitters from Katherine!

It it vital to me that it comes across how much I value having a student like Katherine in my life. She is tremendously special to me, outside of just being a former student. Katherine and I connected on many levels outside of the confines of our classroom. Very quickly we both realized that we had multiple shared “life appreciations” in the important things like pop culture! However, it was these conversations that helped build our relationship, and allowed me to get to know Katherine as the mature young woman I know would be perfect for the UConn Pre-College Summer Program.