Mayfield High School senior Kate Henderson stays pretty busy throughout the year — whether it’s cheering on classmates with the cheerleading squad, helping organize pep rallies, running for the track and field team, or doing school work.
She’s a proud Cardinal, who has set her sights on health care as a future career.
“I want to attend the University of Kentucky and I’ll do pre-nursing, and then I’ll apply for a nursing school and I will complete that, and then I’ll have to do around two extra years to become a nurse practitioner,” she said.
Henderson, who considers math and science among her favorite subjects, said helping people is something that appeals to her about the health care field, as well as being able to understand different aspects about illnesses.
“It’s just always interesting,” she added.
Henderson, daughter of Joe and Lynn Henderson of Mayfield, is the Paducah Bank Teen of the Week.
Every Tuesday, The Sun publishes stories on different high school seniors who were chosen for Teen of the Week recognition. Around the end of the school year, a selection committee will select one of 32 Teen of the Week students as Teen of the Year, which carries a $5,000 scholarship. Another student will receive an Inspiration Award and a $1,000 scholarship.
The 17-year-old student has earned a 4.267 weighted GPA at Mayfield High School, which puts her in the running for valedictorian.
She participates in many activities through school, including varsity cheerleading, varsity track and field, Future Business Leaders of America, youth leadership, Key Club, Interact Club, Beta Club and Sportsman’s Club. Outside of school, Henderson works a part-time job at a Mayfield pharmacy.
In track, Henderson has run for the high school team since seventh grade.
“My favorite part is running the relays,” she said. “I like it because I feel like you run better with your team and you can all depend on each other. It’s just good to have that connection with your teammates.”
She also attended the Kentucky Governor’s Scholar program this past summer at Bellarmine University in Louisville and learned about architectural design.
“It helped me branch out and gain new perspectives, and meet new people, and just get new connections that I’ll probably need later on, as well,” she said.
Meanwhile, Henderson noted her senior year is going well so far.
“I’ve had a really good high school experience through cheer because we’ve been to state multiple times in football, basketball, track — all of those things,” she said. “I’ve been able to go be a part of all that and I really like the school that I go to.”
By: Kelly Farrell