For eight years, I was a competitive swimmer, including six years on my high school team. Swimming was a huge part of my identity. It gave me structure, goals, and a sense of belonging. But over time, the sport that once brought me so much joy became a source of pressure. The constant push to improve my times and outperform my previous self started to chip away at my love for swimming. I found myself training harder, but enjoying it less. What used to be a passion began to feel like a job I couldn’t clock out of. Heading into my senior year, I realized I had a choice: I could push through another season focused solely on competition, or I could step back and prioritize my mental and emotional well-being. I chose the second option. Instead of setting personal records as my goal, I decided to focus on the people around me, my teammates, who had become like family over the years. I still practiced and participated, but my main priority was to enjoy my final season, support my teammates, and reconnect with the reasons I fell in love with swimming in the first place. This shift in mindset changed everything. I was more present, more relaxed, and more connected to the team than ever before. Letting go of the pressure to always perform allowed me to remember why I started swimming: the friendships, the feeling of water gliding past me, and the pride that came from working together toward a common goal. It reminded me that success doesn’t always mean faster times or medals, it can also mean showing up for others and enjoying the journey. Through this experience, I learned the importance of listening to myself and setting boundaries when something that once brought me joy becomes overwhelming. It taught me that prioritizing mental health isn’t weakness, it’s self-respect. I also saw firsthand how stepping back can actually allow you to move forward with a stronger sense of purpose and clarity. Now, as I prepare for the next chapter of my life, I carry that lesson with me. Whether it's in school, work, or personal relationships, I know how important it is to find balance, stay connected to what really matters, and check in with myself regularly. I’m better at recognizing when I need to rest, reflect, or shift my perspective. Most importantly, I’ve learned that choosing joy and connection over burnout doesn’t mean giving up, it means choosing sustainability and well-being. By learning to care for my mental and emotional health during that final swim season, I’ve set a foundation for a healthier and more intentional future, one where success includes happiness, balance, and staying true to myself.

I am Katelynn Radke and I just finished my senior year of high school. In the fall I will be attending the Colorado School of Mines to major in chemistry with an environmental focus. Growing up as a young girl in “gifted” programs, I immediately knew I’d end up pursuing something in STEM. Maths and sciences always came easy to me and I found immense joy in them. In fourth grade, we were asked to create a plan for our future careers and education and all the way back then I said I was going to be a chemist. Although my mind changed a bit over the years I ended up coming back to chemistry after falling in love with it my junior year of high school in AP Chemistry. Just being in the lab gives me a rush. As a young girl, I knew the STEM field was male-dominated but I never let that change my mind. I would tell myself that if the boys in my classes could do it, I could too! Being quite stubborn, I had ended up pushing myself to be in advanced, honors, and AP classes all my k-12 career and loved it. The calculus classes and the sciences were my favorites as I enjoyed making things click into place. I especially loved when calculus started explaining other, more simple parts of math. While deciding which college to attend, I looked all over the country to find the perfect fit for me and all the research I aspire to do. That is when I stumbled upon the Colorado School of Mines. As a fully STEM focused school, I am excited to get such pin pointed assistance and interesting classes. For a while now, whenever some one would ask me what I wanted to do with my chemistry major I would say “well, something in the environmental field.” Mines is able to offer me exactly that major because of how specific they are and all of the creative and exciting classes they offer. I have always wanted to make a difference in the world, both socially by standing out in my field, and through the work I will be doing in a lab. I dream to be a part of something bigger than myself and make an impact that will last for many generations. I wish to one day make a positive impact on our planet and ensure it sticks around for many future generations to explore and love.

Minnesota has been my home all of my life where I have taken part in the swim community, as well as my Farmington community and surrounding towns. Last year, I was selected to be a captain of Farmington's Girls Swim and Dive team which I had been active on since seventh grade. I also swam on the local club team, Tigersharks Swim Club, and was a manager for the Boys Swim and Dive team. Growing up, I was very shy and introverted. I was scared to join the teams where I knew no one. However, the girls, boys, and coaches I have worked with over the years have shaped who I am today and helped me become more friendly and confident. This has also helped me be a better leader in my other communities as well. I have been driven to step into leadership positions such as becoming my school's treasurer for Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America and a youth leader at my church. I try to give back to my community for all they have done for me. Whether or not I was elected captain of my team, I ensured the girls that I was there if they ever needed anything at all. When I was young I looked up to the upperclassmen and when I found out some of them made some big mistakes it hurt me. As much as I care about how I view myself, I never wanted them to look at me the way I looked at the seniors who hurt me. I wanted them to view me in a good light in and out of the pool. I put in extreme effort in my swimming as well as my schoolwork and extracurriculars. I hope that my continued dedication to school will encourage them to do the same. They see my hard work and have even shown up to accept my tutoring help. Beyond that, I want to be a shoulder to cry on and the person they tell when they get good news. As captains this year, we encouraged the team to participate in different community service projects we held such as food and school supplies drives and Feed My Starving Children. We hoped our addition of these events would stick and they would continue to take place for years to come. Just as the community shows up to support us, we should support our community.

I aspire to be more bold and outgoing, to push myself to do things for me rather than just those around me, and to be brave enough to travel around the world and experience and learn about different cultures. I want to love myself and my life.