Greetings Burke County Family!!!
I would like to introduce you to yet another one of our outstanding youths, Kathryn Golden. Kathryn graduated recently, May 21st to be exact, from Burke Middle College. Kathryn is looking forward to continuing her educational goals starting in the short term by earning a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry and eventually a Master's Degree (or higher) in Pharmacology. My dream job is to be a Pharmaceutical Scientist!!
Impressive, is it not Burke County?
I asked Kathryn about any challenges and/or problems she faced growing up and here is what she said.
"Well, growing up as an undiagnosed autistic person posed a lot of challenges...mostly social ones. I also had to deal with other things such as sensory issues and my weak ankles" she said. " I learned as a kid to deal with these problems by reading and allowing myself to get lost in fantasy worlds. Once I was diagnosed, I've been able to figure out various coping strategies to help myself such as, using earplugs to help with loudness in my surroundings and praying."
"I am also extremely grateful for my parents because they instilled the right values in me and were always there to support me when I needed it. I have a good grasp of balancing my personal life and school life but, I am not involved in any extracurricular activities at the moment. I feel it would be difficult for me to juggle all three because I am autistic. So, I have instead chosen to make my family and education my main priorities. I like to read, write, play video games and work on puzzles. Although, my greatest hobby is organizing things... Can I count that as a hobby?" she laughed. " As an avid bookworm, a lot of book series impacted me when I was growing up, Harry Potter in particular. I related so much to Hermione Granger and more recently, Luna Lovegood." Kathryn said fondly.
I asked Kathryn what she was most proud of in her life.
"I would say my proudest moment occurred recently when I gave the invocation at my high school graduation and overcame my fear of speaking in front of large groups of people. I would not have been able to make it as far as I have if it had not been for my family and the grace of God. I would also like to say that just because you are different, does not not mean that you are less than. We are all important and we can all make a difference." she said proudly.
"What do you like about living in Burke County?" I asked.
"I like that we have a lot of differing viewpoints and cultures but, mostly I love that we get along and we're family." she said.
Finally, I braced myself for the two most critical and difficult questions of the interview. I waited silently, holding my breath... "What does a perfect day look like for you Kathryn and what do you plan to do for the summer?" I asked.
"My perfect day would be spent either at Dollywood or at home doing puzzles, reading under my weighted blanket with my cat and/or listening to music!!!" she said.
Well, there you have it, Burke County...another outstanding youth to be proud of in 2024.
Way to go Kathryn and thank you for sharing your story!
Written by Phoenix
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