Freshman Katelyn Gress participates in both cross country and track at De Soto High School, and in her free time she enjoys reading, journaling and listening to country music.

Gress enjoys reading historical fiction books and currently her favorite book is Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper “because it gives you a good perspective on people with special needs.”

Some of Gress’ free time is spent getting creative and staying organized by making entries in her bullet journal.

“So basically it [a bullet journal] is like a planner, but you can draw in it and be creative with it or just make random pages. It helps you organize,” Gress said.

Although Gress is undecided on where she wants to go to college, understandable for someone who just started high school, she plans on studying to be a physical therapist.

She also has not decided if she will be continuing her running career in college. However, being a freshman, she has time to decide.

“I think it would be a cool experience to run in college,” Gress said. “But even if I don’t I’m going to definitely keep running, just in my spare time.”

Due to her love of running, Gress’ favorite activity she participates in at DHS is cross country.

“I love the [cross country] team. They are all really funny people, they’re fun to be around and they’re really nice and encouraging,” Gress said.

Gress greatly enjoys cross country, and she had a lot of fun this past season. She claims that the team was very welcoming and that the “best thing about cross country is the team culture.”

In addition, Gress believes the team as a whole is very supportive and encouraging.

According to Gress, running is a good way to clear your mind and de-stress. She believes it has shaped her as a person because she has learned perseverance and has made some lasting friendships.

Moving forward, Gress is hoping to qualify for State in cross country as well as improve her times.