Determined Student
Olivia Tran
October 10th, 2018
Big Changes for Maryland Native in Hopes of Achieving Her Goals
After living in Jefferson, Maryland for more than18 years, Kat Wolfe knew she needed a change. It led her to move 13 hours away from home in her sophomore year of college.
Kat’s family has lived in Maryland for longer than she can remember. “It was a small town,” Kat said, “I grew up with the same people my entire life.”
Her sisters, Molly and Rachel, and Kat all attended the same elementary school and high school in their hometown, and the whole family, including her parents went to University of Maryland. No one left home.
Until this year, Kat was no different. She attended a public elementary school, homeschooled herself for her high school education, and even decided to attend Frederick College in Maryland to be close to home.
However, at the end of her freshmen year, Kat realized that staying at home wasn’t good for her. She was working hard at school, overloading her schedule at work, and struggling to balance her personal and family life. Kat knew that she needed to leave and made a decision that would change her entire life.
When Kat decided to move away from Maryland, she wanted to get away as far as possible.
“I love my family. I’m really close to them, but I really needed to gain my own independence,” Kat explained.
She applied to a few different colleges, including Seattle Pacific University, a school on the exact opposite side of the country. Kat was ready to commit to Seattle Pacific, when her mom began crying and expressing her concern for Kat moving so far away. Every school that Kat applied to was miles away from home; however, they ultimately came to the consensus to let Kat move to Saint Louis, Missouri, an eleven-hour drive away.
Although she was excited to be so far away from home, Saint Louis was in itself a big change. “It’s a culture shock, but I really like it here.”
Kat is now studying Communications at Saint Louis University with a concentration in Journalism and Media.
“After being in the public school system and being homeschooled for a while, I realized I really love to read and write, but I also realized I love people and being social,” she said.
As part of homeschooling program, Kat had to meet with a group of kids who were also being homeschooled once a week and noticed how the other students lacked social skills. The difference between her and those kids is what sparked Kat’s interest in Communications.
Kat is loving her first year at Saint Louis University.
“I’m happy with my choice here at SLU. I’m very surprised at how good the Communications department is. SLU may not be known for this department, but the professors are all very knowledgeable and I’m learning a lot.”
Kat hopes to graduate in four years and continue a career where she will fulfill her passion and be successful. Although she doesn’t know exactly what career she would like to pursue, she is confident that she chose a major that will equip her in reaching her goal.
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