Undoubtedly, sophomore Kati Benhardt is a baller. She’s a baller on the basketball court, in our school clubs, and in the community through her church.
Playing her freshman basketball season was fun, but Benhardt is excited to see what the coming season holds. “Last year I was on the freshman team and I got to play a little bit of JV at the end, but I’m really excited to start out being on JV and getting to practice with Varsity and be a part of that a little more,” Benhardt said.
Being on the basketball team has its perks. “...you get to be a part of different charities that they do during the winter and stuff. One of the things is you get a little buddy from one of the elementary schools nearby and you get to kind of mentor them and be friends with them for the whole year,” Benhardt said.
Being involved in school clubs is another thing that Benhardt is looking forward to this school year. This year, one of the clubs she is involved in is Diversity Council. “We kind of come together and begin to figure out what religion, cultures, and different stuff we want to learn more about and then we spend the whole year talking about it [and] researching it,” Benhardt said, “we really just come together and talk and go to different conventions. [We] just share our experiences to overall help us all become diverse.”
Benhardt is also involved in FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), and hopes that her list of clubs that she is involved in at school continues to grow.
Not only is Benhardt involved inside of school, but she also enjoys being involved in her church outside of school. “I’m really big in my church, like this summer I helped lead [the] assembly with my church’s [Vacation Bible School]. So another girl and I were on stage and [we] got the kids really excited. [We] sang and danced and did some skits,” Benhardt said. She also is involved in her youth group and helps out in her church’s nursery on Sunday mornings.
If she could describe herself in one word, it would definitely be funny. “I make myself laugh and I think I’m funny,” Benhardt said.
As far as role models go, Benhardt would definitely have to pick her mother as her biggest role model. “I would say my mom, because she’s always been there and I can go to her with anything,” Benhardt said, “[and] without her I wouldn’t be the person I am today.”
Benhardt is more than ready to tackle this school year. She is looking forward to staying involved in school and dedicating all of her efforts to her classes in order to be the best she can be. The best part of school day is being able to see friends, and going into class and being successful. “It’s a cool thing for me, I really like it,” Benhardt said, “[I like] going in and working hard and seeing the effects of that.”
